DOJ Charging More Than 50 Alleged Anti-ICE Rioters In California, Prosecutor Says

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dramatically ramped up prosecutions stemming from anti-deportation riots in central California that erupted in June, a local federal prosecutor said Wednesday.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, a President Donald Trump appointee, said in a X post that his office has charged 53 people with “assaults on agents or interference with 🛂Immigration enforcement” since rioters began setting fires and assaulting law enforcement in Los Angeles in response to🛂Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The number represents a large jump from June 17, when Essayli said his team had charged “more than 20” defendants.

Nine cases have proceeded to a grand jury indictment, seven others waived an indictment and four have pleaded guilty, Essayli said. Seven others have been dismissed with a chance to be refiled, while 26 others “are making their way through the court process and are at various stages,” he said.