Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lashed out Thursday criticizing the timing of Border Patrol’s arrest of an illegal immigrant outside Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press conference.
U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a raid Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, directly outside where Newsom had been speaking at the Japanese American National Museum about the state’s special election to redistrict California. Surrounded by reporters, Bass was asked by an NBC4 Los Angeles journalist if she believed the arrest was a “coincidence.”
“There is no way this was a coincidence!” Bass yelled. “This was widely publicized that the governor and many of our other elected officials were having a press conference here to talk about redistricting, and they decided they were going to come and thumb their nose in front of the governor’s face. Why would you do that? That is unbelievably disrespectful.”
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“It’s a provocative act. They’re talking about disorder in Los Angeles, and they are the source of the disorder in Los Angeles right now. This is just completely unacceptable,” Bass added. “This is an administration, this is a Customs and Border Patrol that has gone amok! This absolutely has to stop. There was no danger here. There was no need to detain anyone here, and there was certainly no need to have a provocative act right here where the governor is having a press conference.”
Footage from FOX 11 showed Border Patrol agents detaining at least one person. California’s El Centro Sector Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino told the outlet agents were in the city to make it a “safer place,” adding that if politicians wouldn’t do it, they would.
“So that’s why we’re here today … already making it a safer place. We’re glad to be here. Not going anywhere,” Bovino told Fox11.
Bovino said the arrest occurred during routine “roving patrols” and denied accusations that the location was chosen because of Newsom’s press conference, according to ABC7.
During Newsom’s press conference, the Democrat governor announced the launch of the state’s gerrymandering campaign, aimed at ousting roughly six Republicans from the House of Representatives. The move comes in response to Texas’ redistricting plan, with Newsom releasing a campaign video calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s “election rigging.”
The special election is set for Nov. 4, when California voters will decide whether to give redistricting authority to the state Legislature instead of the independent commission which typically draws up the election maps.
Los Angeles, a sanctuary city, has seen an uptick in raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents since June. Protesters and rioters recently took over the downtown area for a handful of days, causing millions in damages as Waymo cars were torched, mass looting occurred and buildings were covered in vandalism.
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