President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan issued a stark warning Saturday that elected officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, could face federal charges if they interfere with ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles. The remarks come as protests escalated for a second consecutive day following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the city.
"I'm telling you what, we're going to keep enforcing law every day in L.A.," Homan said in an interview with NBC News. "Every day in L.A., we're going to enforce immigration law. I don't care if they like it or not." Homan said he would not hesitate to pursue charges under statutes criminalizing the harboring of undocumented immigrants or obstruction of federal officers. "You cross that line, it's a felony," he said.
Los Angeles erupted into unrest over the weekend after ICE agents executed search warrants across multiple locations, including the Fashion District and Home Depot stores. More than 40 individuals were detained Friday, and further raids continued into Saturday in Paramount. Demonstrations intensified outside federal buildings, where protesters reportedly surrounded law enforcement vehicles, hurled projectiles, and ignited fires. At least one person was struck by a vehicle, and 11 individuals were arrested for failure to disperse.
Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops under federal command to restore order in Los Angeles. "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Governor Newsom blasted the deployment, calling it "deranged behavior," and claimed the move was designed to provoke violence. "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," he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Saturday evening that Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton were on high alert and could be mobilized if unrest persisted. "If violence continues, active duty Marines... will also be mobilized," Hegseth wrote on X.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons criticized Bass and other California officials for allegedly siding with protesters. "Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement," Lyons said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security alleged that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building," though it has not yet provided evidence to support the claim.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell distanced his department from the ICE operations. "We will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status," McDonnell said.
Federal law enforcement officials emphasized that the ICE raids were criminal in nature, targeting employers allegedly using fictitious documents. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed that warrants were executed at three locations. However, immigrant rights advocates say the enforcement has spread into community gathering spots, including outside a doughnut shop and multiple Home Depot parking lots.
Homan disputed claims that ICE agents were operating near schools, hospitals, or churches, calling such reports "misinformation." He accused Newsom of endangering public safety by maintaining California's "Sanctuary State" law. "If he cared about public safety in the state of California, he would not have a sanctuary for criminals," Homan said.
The rhetoric from the administration has sharpened. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called the protests "an insurrection," while DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed, "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale."
Union leader David Huerta of SEIU California was arrested Friday and hospitalized after being injured during the protests. "This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that's happening," Huerta said in a statement from the hospital.
Protesters continued gathering throughout the weekend, with chants of "ICE out of L.A.!" and "Set them free, let them stay!" heard near federal detention centers. Some demonstrators waved Mexican flags and carried signs reading "No Human Being is Illegal." Flash-bang grenades were deployed by law enforcement in multiple locations.
The protests coincide with several ongoing immigration controversies involving ICE. A group of deportees and ICE agents remain stuck in Djibouti following a federal court order halting deportations, with reports of makeshift detention conditions and health concerns.
