Border Czar Tom Homan threatened to arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
President Donald Trump has taken the extraordinary step of deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to quell protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in L.A.—despite objections from Newsom and Bass—characterizing demonstrators as out-of-control and violent.
As troops began arriving in the city Sunday morning, Homan spoke with NBC News’ Jacob Soboroff, who asked if Newsom and Bass face the risk of arrest.
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Homan replied, “I’ll say this about anybody—if you cross that line, it’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal illegal aliens, it’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job.”
Speaking specifically about Bass, Homan added, “If she crossed that line, we’ll ask DOJ to prosecute,” though he noted he didn’t believe Bass had “crossed that line” yet.
Demonstrators have clashed with federal agents over the sweeping immigration raids ICE has conducted this weekend. Both Newsom and Bass have condemned the raids while calling for protests to remain peaceful.
“These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,” Bass said Friday. “We will not stand for this.”
On Saturday, ICE acting director Todd Lyons accused Bass taking of taking ”the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”
In his interview with Soboroff, Homan also warned that continued “rhetoric against ICE” could have serious consequences.
“If this rhetoric continues, this violence continues, someone’s going to lose their life,” Homan said. “It’s an anti-Trump agenda, anti-ICE agenda, and they’re going to keep coming. But we’ve got help coming.”
He noted he had prayed that officers and protestors would stay safe before going to bed. “But when you cross that line and you cause this type of violence, it’s only common sense—the rhetoric keeps rising, and rising and rising—someone’s going to get hurt.”
Soboroff pointed out that Newsom—who slammed the deployment of the National Guard to L.A. as “purposefully inflammatory”—has accused the Trump administration of escalating tensions.
“I have absolutely no respect for this governor,” Homan replied. “He’s an embarrassment to his state.”
