By Zach Jewell | Daily Wire
"Let your hands off these poor people. They’re just trying to live their lives, man."
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the Trump administration on Sunday and dared border czar Tom Homan to arrest him amid the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles County.
Trump drew the ire of California Democrats, such as Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, after he deployed the National Guard to shut down the riots that broke out over the weekend. Homan then warned Newsom and Bass against impeding federal law enforcement officers and threatened them with arrest if they “cross[ed]” the line.” The California governor shot back, imploring the Trump administration to keep their “hands off these poor people” who are “just trying to live their lives.”
“He’s a tough guy. Why doesn’t he do that? He knows where to find me,” Newsom said of Homan in an interview with MSNBC.
“The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up,” he continued. “They need to stop, and we need to push back. And I’m sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go,” he added.
“But you know what? Let your hands off 4-year-old girls that are trying to get educated. Let your hands off these poor people. They’re just trying to live their lives, man,” Newsom added. “Trying to live their lives, paying their taxes. Been here for 10 years. The fear, the horror.”
Over the weekend, federal immigration agents, along with state and local law enforcement officers, were attacked by rioters hurling rocks, concrete, and “commercial grade fireworks” — actions that LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said could have killed the police officers. At least one Customs and Border Protection agent was injured after rioters pelted his vehicle with rocks. Many of the rioters waved foreign flags and burned self-driving robotaxis in the street.
Homan responded to Newsom on Monday morning, telling “Fox & Friends” that “no one’s above the law,” but added that there was no discussion about arresting the governor.
“What we discussed was for those protesters that crossed the line … you can protest, you get your First Amendment rights, but when you cross that line, you put hands on an ICE officer or you destroy property or I’d say that you impede law enforcement, or you’re knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a crime, and the Trump administration is not going to tolerate it,” Homan said.