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California Governor Gavin Newsom has escalated his war of words with Donald Trump’s administration over its handling of this weekend’s tensions in Los Angeles by challenging the president’s border czar Tom Homan to arrest him.
Homan had told the media on Saturday that he was prepared to apprehend “anybody” who interfered with the illegal immigrant crackdown in the city being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, not excluding Newsom or Mayor Karen Bass.
“It’s a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job,” he said.
The Democrat shot back on X on Sunday by saying: “Trump’s border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out. Come and get me, tough guy.”
“I don’t give a damn. It won’t stop me from standing up for California.”
The taunt accompanied a clip of an impassioned Newsom speaking to MSNBC in which he said: “What the hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up, 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.”
In the same interview, the governor denounced Trump’s decision to send in the state National Guard to assist local law enforcement in maintaining order after three nights of angry demonstrations against ICE’s latest drive to arrest alleged undocumented migrants.
Newsom posted a number of other clips from the same segment last night, in one of which he said the president had “manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions” through his actions and rhetoric and in another called Trump “a stone cold liar.”
The governor further posted a video of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and accused them of provoking violence and chaos, “militarizing cities” and arresting their opponents, before declaring: “These are the acts of a dictator, not a president.”
Elsewhere, Newsom reported that he had formally requested that the president stand down the Guard, posted a letter of support from leading Democrats and attacked other top Republicans including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, scoffing: “Smart guys running the operation.”
Trump retaliated on Truth Social, writing: “Governor Gavin Newscum [sic] and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!”
He branded Newsom and Bass “incompetent”, criticized their handling of wildfires in the same city earlier this year and said the federal government would have to step in if they “can’t do their jobs.”
The mass resistance to ICE’s actions since Friday has seen vehicles set alight and protesters throwing fireworks at armed law enforcement officers, holding aloft placards bearing hostile slogans and shouting: “Shame on you!”
Officers in riot gear have responded by firing tear gas and flash grenades in attempts to disperse the crowds.
ICE operations across Los Angeles County have so far resulted in the arrests of 118 accused illegal immigrants despite the clashes, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
