CA Governor and LA Mayor Defy the Laws They Once Swore to Uphold
So, how do you stop a riot when the people responsible for maintaining order are standing with the rioters?

After approximately 1,000 demonstrators surrounded the ICE Detention Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, made it clear that her sympathies lay with the rioters. Her office issued a statement that read:
This morning, we received reports of federal immigration enforcement actions in multiple locations in Los Angeles. As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My Office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this.
She followed up with a post on social media saying, “Los Angeles will always be a proud city of immigrants, and we will defend immigrant communities.”
In the accompanying video, Bass told a reporter, “We are going to fight for all Angelenos, regardless of when they got here, whether they have papers or not.”
Los Angeles will always be a proud city of immigrants, and we will defend immigrant communities. pic.twitter.com/oH1lbT9PNy
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 6, 2025
As the anti-ICE riots descended into chaos Saturday night, President Donald Trump invoked emergency powers to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the area.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had failed to act for the second straight day, condemned the decision on X and said Trump was more interested in theatrics than de-escalation. He ended with an absurd remark in light of the situation: “Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
What a stupid remark.
The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.
Don't give them one.
Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 8, 2025
Remember those long lines of solo military age men crossing the border illegally during the Biden administration? https://t.co/1gbTXBS4g4
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) June 8, 2025
What began as outrage over ICE raids spiraled into two days of chaos, with protesters torching vehicles, attacking officers with rocks, and firing explosives at a federal building by Saturday night.
The invading foreign army attacking Los Angeles surrounds the ICE detention facility in Downtown LA tonight as multiple fronts break out in the war.
The insurrectionists hurl an Unregistered Destructive Device into the federal facility then run from resulting salvos. pic.twitter.com/Phuoh7obkK
— Alan Bings (@AlanBings) June 8, 2025
So, how do you stop a riot when the people meant to maintain order are standing with the rioters? What happens when the city’s mayor and the state’s governor abdicate their responsibilities for public safety and defy the laws they once swore to uphold?
Well, there should be consequences. And, on Saturday evening, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a stark warning: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a judge, a member of Congress, or a protestor in Los Angeles: If you obstruct or assault a law enforcement officer, this Department of Justice will prosecute you.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re a judge, a member of Congress, or a protestor in Los Angeles:
If you obstruct or assault a law enforcement officer, this Department of Justice will prosecute you.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) June 7, 2025
Bondi’s post served as a pointed reminder: Just as the government had arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan in April for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant in her courtroom evade law enforcement and charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with assault in May after she defied agents at a New Jersey ICE detention facility, authorities will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who “obstructs or assaults” a federal officer.
While neither Bass nor Newsom physically assaulted officers nor directly obstructed ICE operations, they nonetheless defied the rule of law. Their actions ran counter to their sworn oaths to uphold the Constitution and to “faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office to the best of [their] abilities.”
For his part, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently vowed to dox every last ICE AGENT.
Hakeem Jeffries vows Doxing ICE agents
(So the mobs can go to their houses threaten and intimidate them and their families)
Doxing is the act of publishing private or identifying information about an individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent pic.twitter.com/j30HibNt7A— GreatLakesLady (@GreatlakesladyM) June 4, 2025
The L.A. riots are a direct result of the Biden administration’s reckless decision to stop enforcing U.S. immigration laws, effectively opening up our southern border. Since then, Democrats have consistently aided and abetted illegal immigration, seizing every opportunity to undermine and discredit ICE and Border Patrol agents.
One notable example occurred during former President Joe Biden’s first year in office, when his administration accused Border Patrol agents on horseback of “whipping” Haitian migrants as they crossed into Del Rio, Texas. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters at the time that she was “deeply troubled” by the incident.
Public outrage followed—until a formal investigation by Customs and Border Protection concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the agents involved.
Given that illegal immigration is an 80–20 issue with voters, that his state’s leniency toward undocumented immigrants has contributed to a significant budget deficit, and that he’s widely expected to run for president in 2028, one might expect Newsom to at least pretend to be concerned about the ongoing influx of illegals.
But neither Newsom nor Bass has lifted a finger to confront the fallout from their open-border agenda. Rather than backing law enforcement or protecting their constituents, they’ve chosen to embolden lawbreakers and demonize the very agents tasked with securing our country. Their silence in the face of violence isn’t just cowardice—it’s complicity. They didn’t just abandon their oath to uphold the Constitution; they helped set the fire now raging in the streets of Los Angeles.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.

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Comments
Just like their Iranian pals, they say whatever you want to hear while they do what they want.
Hey Gavin…..
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpich_v._Department_of_Defense
Reviewed Perpich last night in fact. It’s not particularly applicable. It’s pretty narrowly tailored around removing a “governor’s”‘ NG out of country for training purposes. But it still serves as a great vehicle to argue that “citizens not in the NG are stil militia” and also “Governor, the NG ain’t your state’s constitutional militia.”
Surprise, NGO
Money, paid by for you and
Me
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/06/report-evidence-suggests-la-riots-ice-raids-could/
What a disgrace.
The vile, stupid and evil Dhimmi-crat apparatchiks and their followers long ago proved that they are the party of native-born criminals (especially those “of color”), illegal alien criminals and Islamofascists/Muslim terrorists. These pukes certainly don’t represent the interests of law-abiding and productive American citizens.
The Dhimmi-crats have, over the past one hundred years, allied with, enabled and whitewashed Soviet communism, Chinese communism and genocidal Islamofascism.
All Dhimmi-crats should by default be treated as subversive fifth columnists and insurrectionists.
Through this inscription I wish to enter my dying protest against what is called the Democratic party. I have watched it closely since the days of Jackson and know that all the misfortunes of our nation has come to it through this so called party therefore beware of this party of treason.
—ATTICA, KS. GRAVESTONE OF NATHANIEL GRIGSBY, CIVIL WAR VETERAN
Is it time for Milhouse to defend the actionable words of the Gov and Mayor? “We will defend of immigrant communities”… as in “intent”. “immigrant communities” is disingenuous as the ICE raids are for illegally present people…. and everyone knows it. Bass is Marxist but Newsom wants to be prez… so he has to be careful Yes, there has to be a link between the two and the rioters… and they have plenty of intermediaries to provide degrees of separation. The Left wanted their Summer of Floyd. LA will burn and Bass won’t have to worry about promoting 15 minutes cities because what left will be 5 minute cities.
Their words are not actionable. They are completely within their rights to speak as they are doing. They have not violated any laws.
Ms Staufer claims that “their actions ran counter to their sworn oaths”, but the only judge of someone’s oath is that person. They don’t see the conflict, so there isn’t one. Oaths are not legally enforceable, they’re just solemn statements of intent, and they mean whatever the person meant when swearing them.
Jeffries hasn’t broken any laws either.
But Bondi is 100% correct in warning that those who obstruct or assault law enforcement officers are subject to arrest and prosecution.
Milhouse, democrat defense council .
4rdm2, filthy disgusting liar and slanderer.
Let’s hope the NG deployment, the SecDef, as a practical matter, putting the 1st Marine Division on standby and the DoJ warnings about prosecution will cause State/Local officials to work with the Feds in quelling these riots before they spiral into greater escalation of force. Maybe these actions will deter like minded rioters in other States before more serious policies are put into play…like sealing the borders of the State internal and external to prevent mischief by those inclined to travel and join in. Shutting down the airports and seaports along with blocking ingress/egress of rail and roadway at State line would be high on my list to isolate the area to begin to gain control of the situation.
The Left needs a martyr … so expect a dead “immigrant” Same as Floyd or the protester ( Yuriy Verbytsky) in Ukraine back with the Orange Revolution times,
Hope all you want
These fools
Let LA burn, they dont care as long as burn is part of it
Can you imagine Reagan as Governor of California and behaving like this
As if on cue
Burn baby born, they should be shot on site
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/06/anti-ice-protesters-rioters-seen-starting-fire-accelerants/
If the State and Local politicians refuse to cooperate with the Feds to quell this it’s gonna get worse. IMO we shouldn’t seek out a repeat of ‘People’s Park’ where they were using buckshot v mob. The failure of cooperation and indeed the condemnation and posturing by Newsom and Bass is bad. Newsom has floated the idea that somehow the State of CA will ‘withhold federal taxes’. They gotta climb down off their ideological high horse before this gets bloody. Instead the Stat amd local CA leaders seem hell bent on stoking even greater escalation into mindless,.deliberate violence and destruction.
Instead there’s a violent mob attacking LEO, blocking roadways, setting siege to Fed facilities, obstructing legitimate enforcement operations, looting, arson, general chaos and disruption. Executed by a mob with assistance and support of transnational orgs seemingly composed in part by illegal immigrants and all.the while marching under the Flags of foreign powers. Not to mention Mayor Bass claiming to be in ‘close coordination’ with the mob and members of CA Congressional delegation calling for more ‘support and resistance’ to law and order. In total this seems to be checking off a great many boxes on the ‘is this an insurrection/invasion checklist/flowchart’.
We should not welcome an insurrection and the violence, destruction and deaths that will flow from it but sticking our head in the sand and pretending it isn’t happening is not a viable option.
What federal taxes are in his possession, that he can withhold? Unless he’s referring to the federal taxes held out of state employees’ paychecks.
Yep the only ‘federal taxes’ he can be refusing to send are the those under his control as an employer.
The mayor and police chief should be arrested
For what? They haven’t broken any law.
Remember what 2A advocates keep telling us: The police are under no duty to prevent every crime they happen to become aware of. They have the discretion to decide which crimes deserve their attention and which don’t.
No one remembers the “Little Rock Nine?”
Trump is well within his rights as POTUS to call up the National Guard.
Not quite the same. IIRC, for the “Little Rock Nine”, the Governor of Arkansas called up the National Guard — as is his right — to enforce the state’s segregationist laws and keep the Nine out.
Then the President — as is HIS right — asserted his authority as Commander-in-Chief and federalized the already-mobilized NG troops against the state and local LEOs to allow the Nine into the school.
But yeah, the President may mobilize the NG to maintain order and quell riots and rebellions. That isn’t even a question.
That’s nice … but illegal aliens are not “immigrants” in any way, shape, or form. They are not “illegal immigrants” and they are not “undocumented immigrants”. They are not “immigrants”, at all. They are “illegal aliens” who should be deported the minute any official office becomes aware of their status.
Actually, “illegal aliens” is too benign a description. Hostile foreign invaders is closer to the truth.
Subotai Bahadur
And once again, you are wrong. You are not the boss of the English language, and can’t change the definitions of words to suit yourself.
An immigrant is anyone “who comes to a country to take up permanent residence”. Period. There is no implication about whether that arrival complied with any relevant laws, nor whether any documents exist in relation to it.
(By the way, those are two separate questions. It is possible for a given immigration to be legal but undocumented, or documented but illegal. The left’s substitution of “documented” for “legal” is dishonest, because they are not synonyms. It’s also a fact that most illegal immigrants have plenty of documents; more than most natives have. The possession of those documents doesn’t make their immigration legal.)
Word is ActBlue is not only organizing but also funding the LA riots. Charge them with conspiracy under the RICO Act. Put federal informants to good use for once.
“Word is” is not grounds for a criminal charge. You need enough evidence to create a prima facie case. It may be that an investigation will yield such evidence; but it also may be that it won’t.
IANAL, but I believe you are correct. “Word is” is very much hearsay, inadmissible in court and almost meaningless in any criminal investigation.
If there’s enough evidence or sworn affidavits to open an actual investigation, there’s likely enough to get warrants seeking more, and maybe even enough to proceed to trial.
But none of that will be “word is”.
Attacking a federal facility? That sure sounds like a Fort Sumpter moment. What would General Sherman do?
Burn Atlanta of course.
Well, for one thing the FO part of the experience would come in calibers.
We are back to the “peaceful protests”… or “mostly peaceful protests”. Of course, all of these protests and those for Floyd were totally peaceful and only corrupted by instigators infiltrating the demonstrations. When it’s hard to separate these two groups then whose is hiding whom? When it appears that they get the funding from the same NGO/Groups… then what’s the real difference? Pallets of bricks/stones appearing out of nowhere…. that requires buying them and transporting them… and not in a Prius.
Actually we are beyond the Floyd level of left media duplicity. Then, with arson, looting, and mayhem in the background the liars on camera insisted the riots were actually “mostly peaceful protests.” Now, with the same background, the left media liars are denying there are any riots at all. Every piece of leftist propaganda is a gross insult to the intelligence of normal Americans.
This is a trap for Trump.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
Gavin is about an inch short of seceding by the look of it.
It is a well designed minefield.
Gavin needs a body count now, and he will run with that.
He will have one very soon, well, one already.
I am certain he is setting up a run for the Presidency.
And this is his P.R. war.
Let them secede. I see zero downsides.
First, California will cease to be a drain on federal resounces and have to pay her own bills.
Second, California’s Congressional delegation will no longer have seats to hold or votes to cast, which will greatly shift the balance of power in Congress.
Third, Gavin Newsom will then be a citizen of a foreign nation — the Republic of California — and NOT the United States, and will be ineligible to run for President of the U.S.
And that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure there are more upsides to find.
California is a critical piece of property. It’s exponentially easier to defend a maritime border than it is to defend a land border. Rather than allowing it to secede, we should do exactly as Lincoln did. Eject the current government, and install a reconstruction government for a period of 20-years. I’m sure Viceroy DeSantis will do an excellent job of bringing order to the rebellious California factions….or way or the other (hopefully they other).
Actually, it’s a trap for Newsome. Any pretense of ‘moderation’ is evaporating day by day.
If the fish out of water Bass and/or Governor Gruesome in any way obstructed ICE, then they should be arrested and charged with obstruction.
And the same is true for Trump, should he ever take it into his head to do such a thing. But so far none of them have done so.
I’m sorry, Democrat, but who was talking about Trump?
Or is deflecting from Democrat and leftist criminality just reflexive at this point?
Shut up, you filthy disgusting liar. You have never ever made even one single valuable contribution to this forum. You exist merely to lie and spill bile and poison this entire place so that valuable contributors like me want to leave. Go back to Hell where you came from.
“Leaders” of the Democrat Party, in elected positions of authority, are refusing to enforce the law, are encouraging others to ignore the law and are threatening Federal law enforcement officers.
The Democrat Party has declared war on the United States of America and should now be treated to the repercussions of that act.
It will not be pretty when law-abiding citizens start disobeying laws.
And organizing their own militias.
Watching this thing devolve into chaos in real time, I couldn’t help but think that if I’m a Guardsman in that situation, I would absolutely rather be federalized under Title 10 (as Trump has done for 2K of them) rather than under control of Newsom (Title 32) for one very simple reason: Immunity. Federal law enforcement officers (and troops federalized under Title 10) enjoy absolute immunity from local and state prosecution. They can only be prosecuted in federal court. So, if things go really sideways, which seems like an increasing likelihood, and violence ensues, you don’t have to worry about being second-guessed by Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom. That’s not a small thing, IMO.
My question is, what are the NG troops’ arming orders?
For those unaware, when the NG (or any military group) is mobilized, they receive as part of their orders instructions regarding what equipment to bring and what condition in which to bring it.
They could show up without weapons, flak vests, or helmets. Or with sidearms only. Or with full weapons and armor but no ammunition, possibly with no magazines to even appear threatening. (Yes, magazines and ammunition are specified separately.)
It all depends on what’s in the arming orders. If the NG deployed with empty guns as a simple show of force with nothing to back it up — a paper tiger, as it were — it wouldn’t be the first time.
I haven’t heard/read what the specifics of their activation orders were. But, I’m seen considerable video of them stationed immediately outside the federal buildings this afternoon. They’re carrying M4s (magazines inserted), side arms, tactical vests, riot-control helmets and it looked like several were carrying 40mm launchers. My presumption was this must have been a unit specifically trained in riot-control given their T/O (or whatever it’s called in the Guard).
The reality is we probably won’t be able to learn the troops’ actual arming orders until after the fact, assuming someone wants to file that FOIA request. (If the action is over and done, there’s often no “national security” interest in denying that request. Folks have FOIA’d — and received — the NG’s arming orders for post-Hurricane-Katrina deployments.)
While it’s hard to tell by photos if the guns are loaded with live ammunition, this also isn’t a forest fire, natural disaster, or search-and-rescue mission. It’s unlikely that an armed-services-respecting Republican President would send them to quell an actual, violent, fiery riot — very much “into harm’s way” — without the means to protect themselves and each other.
So, how do you stop a riot when the people responsible for maintaining order are standing with the rioters?
I can think of a way. Something deemed “necessary to the security of a free State”.
Unfortunately, California has worked ceaselessly for decades to deny its
citizenssubjects the free exercise of that right, else it would have been done long ago.The riots were not organic they were primarily funded by CHIRLA who is the beneficiary of tax money from California (that’s where they get 70% of their funds). Before CHIRLA called and paid for the riot, they would have received a buy in from Bass and Newsom, because those 2 are responsible for 70% of their money. So yeah, if you’re paying for a riot on the one hand, you’re are not going to squelch with it the other.
Had to look that up.
http://chirla.us/
This chaos is the Dems’ version of a voter registration drive.
Newsom is taunting the administration to arrest him, while carefully not giving them any excuse to do so. He knows that so long as he doesn’t break any laws he can’t be arrested, and that the administration has no intention of arresting him without his breaking a law. And he knows that if he ever does break a law he will certainly be arrested. So he doesn’t do that, while thumbing his nose at the administration and pretending he’s so brave. Like little “Palestinian” kids who are sent by their parents to hit and kick Israeli soldiers, knowing that the soldiers are under orders not to do anything to them.
These tactics work so long as the opponent is committed to the ‘script’. However when the opponent refuses to follow the ‘script’ things get very real very quickly. The Serbians in Kosovo tried this crap. Put little old ladies in front of fit young ‘protesters’ who stood behind them throwing rocks, bottles. They genuinely believed we wouldn’t put folks into detention. When we grabbed up the first dozen of the little old ladies, put them in flex cuffs and loaded them onto vehicles for transport to detention facility…. the mob was in utter shock. They immediately capitulated b/c they understood once we removed the little old ladies with minimal force we would follow through on our warnings and were willing to use all necessary force to arrest the mob. Getting inside the decision loop of the opponent is key. Don’t play to their script, be innovative and act decisively.
an excellent and informative interview to explain what is going out there.https://x.com/USAO_LosAngeles/status/1931837764733206654
Interesting. SEIU-USWW president David Huerta was arrested during that protest, and the U.S. Attorney explains exactly why.
SEIU and the media are emphasizing that he’s a U.S. citizen and was arrested during an immigration enforcement action — all technically true, but as usual, it’s a misdirection to pull attention away from the real issue.
USAO points out, Huerta obstructed the lawful execution of a signed search warrant and got into a physical altercation with an ICE agent — actions that are unlawful no matter which agency is executing the warrant — and it’s implied that his citizenship status is not in question and he is not subject to deportation.
Will wonders never cease? A useful comment by TJV!
And of course the fact that Huerta is a citizen is completely irrelevant. Most criminals are citizens. He should be treated just like any other citizen who commits the same offense.
If the premise is that during an immigration enforcement action no one may be arrested for anything but illegal immigration, that’s an obviously dam stupid premise.