Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is getting involved with protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside of a detention center, in which the agency has been detaining illegal immigrants living in Los Angeles.
According to NBC News, protests broke out across the sanctuary city of Los Angeles, which has since turned violent, setting fires to vehicles while they wave foreign flags. The Los Angeles Police Department declared a curfew would come into effect as of last night and anyone found out on the streets will face arrest, with few exceptions.
Waters, who joined protestors and told National Guard soldiers, “If you’re going to shoot me, you better shoot straight,” which is a common moniker for Waters, who has used this phrase many times over her decades-long political career.
“I came down here to the detention center to see if I can find out what’s happening with David Huerta, he is one of our leaders in organized labor, head of a local SCIU union,” Waters told a reporter. “I don’t know why they picked him up, I don’t know what they’re going to do to him, I don’t want them to deport him.”
Waters added that she thinks Huerta has been “targeted” along with Los Angeles because of its sanctuary city status.
“Trump hates us, he does not like this city, he’s trying to intimidate, and he sent the guns in here on us,” Waters said.
“The Governor didn’t know anything about the National Guard coming here, he (Trump) did it on his own,” Waters said. “We can’t be intimidated, we’ve got to get the people out, we’ve got to get the elected officials out, we’ve got to resist him.”
Waters said her next step was to go out to ICE targeted communities.
“I’m going out to Lennox, and to Paramount, Watts, South Central where they were last night to see if ICE is back out there,” Waters said.
Waters said her message to the community is to not be intimidated.
“Don’t be afraid, do what we did in the civil rights movement, protest, peacefully,” Waters said. “Get out, make your voices heard, if more people were able to engage the more, we can push back on it.”
