In case you were wondering why neither California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass—the very officials responsible for maintaining public order—have refused to take action to end the anti-ICE riots that have rocked the city since last Friday, the mystery has been solved. On Wednesday, Bass made it clear that the riots will end when the Trump administration’s raids on illegal immigrants in her city end. And yes, it really is that simple.
At a Wednesday gathering of more than 20 mayors and local leaders from cities in southern California, Bass said, “I’m very proud to stand here with the mayors, the leadership of so many cities. But you should take note that the individuals that are here with me today are all leaders in their areas and we all stand in support and solidarity and call for the raids to end.”
Unabashed, Bass posted a clip of her remarks on X and wrote, “Right now, the Trump administration is using Los Angeles as a test case. But that’s exactly why more than a 20 mayors and local leaders from across Southern California are here UNITED today — to confront the impact in each of our cities and to say, with one united voice: The raids must stop. Now.”
That’s right, the woman who swore an oath to defend the Constitution just called on President Donald Trump to stop enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Bass’s remarks “the rhetoric of insurrection.” He offered a translation: “She’s saying: no peace until federal law enforcement withdraws from the city. No peace until all the illegal invaders are allowed to remain.”
Is Miller right? Her words sure sound like an ultimatum. At a press conference this week, Bass said, “This was chaos that was started in Washington, D.C. … On Thursday, the city was peaceful. On Friday, it was not, because of the intervention of the federal government.”
“We need to stop the raids. The only thing it does is contribute to chaos,” she added.
In a CNN interview, Bass gave the game away. She said, “People in this city have a rapid-response network. If they see ICE, they go out and they protest. And so it’s just a recipe for pandemonium that’s completely unnecessary.”
Now, it’s starting to sound more insurrectionary. Bass was essentially saying, ‘If the federal government tries to enforce immigration law in Los Angeles, the people will rebel. And as long as ICE continues conducting raids, the rebellion will continue.’
But unless and until Congress changes the laws, the Trump administration has every right to send ICE agents into Los Angeles—it’s called enforcing the law. Deporting illegal immigrants who flooded into the country under the Biden administration’s open-border policies was the cornerstone of Trump’s campaign. His tough stance on immigration is what helped propel him back into the White House.
The National Review’s Rich Lowry weighed in on Bass’s remarks in a Wednesday op-ed:
What she wants is for that rapid-response network to achieve victory, to chase federal immigration agents out of the city although they have every right to be there.When she says that these activists “go out and protest,” she’s resorting to euphemism because their protests involve obstructing ICE operations.The responsible thing for her to say, given her politics, would be that she opposes ICE raids and the city won’t cooperate with them, but the federal government is fully within its right to conduct these operations and they should not be in any way impeded, let alone attacked.Instead, she supports rioters having the right to determine federal immigration policy within the 502 square miles of her city, a morally bankrupt position that the federal government can’t and shouldn’t accept.
The Trump administration shows no signs of giving in to Bass’s demands. In fact, in an appearance on Fox News Primetime this week, border czar Tom Homan vowed that the raids are going to continue. His team plans to “flood the zone.”
Homan explained that because Los Angeles is a sanctuary city, they don’t allow ICE agents anywhere near their jails which is the optimal way to detain illegals. Instead, the city releases them into the community which forces ICE agents to have to conduct raids at workplaces and residences.
“We’re going to be there tonight, we’re going to be there tomorrow, we’re going to be there every day… and we’re not going to apologize for doing it,” he said.
Nothing suggests that the Trump administration plans to stand down. Nor should they. As federal immigration enforcement falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the executive branch, Trump is well within his authority to carry out these actions. Upholding the rule of law and securing the nation’s borders isn’t just a right — it’s a responsibility the administration is right to take seriously.
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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