Maxine Waters Comments on Los Angeles Riots
Democrat Maxine Waters stated that there was “no violence” in Los Angeles on Monday, despite evidence of at least one incident involving a car fire and an assault on federal agents.
President Donald Trump had ordered the National Guard to be deployed on Saturday as riots unfolded in the city following an incident involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Home Depot. Waters seemed to struggle with the characterization of escalating violence presented by Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McConnell.
“I was really taken aback by how the police chief described everything,” Waters commented during an appearance on the “Status Room” with Wolf Blitzer. “There was no violence where someone protesting hurt anyone, fired a gun, or even threatened anyone. I think he might be a bit lost on what to do since this is a sanctuary city and the police don’t have much authority here.”
At a press conference on Sunday, McConnell detailed attacks on his officers. “Last night, we had someone shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers, which could potentially kill someone,” he informed reporters.
The rioters reportedly damaged at least five self-driving cars, setting two on fire. Images shared on social media depicted individuals, wearing motorcycle helmets, throwing rocks at vehicles, including those belonging to ICE agents. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of those involved.
Video footage from journalist Andy Ngo showed a police car that had been damaged during the unrest early Monday morning. “During the riots in Los Angeles, the far-left activists caused significant damage to police vehicles,” he noted.
Since taking office, Trump has issued several executive orders addressing illegal immigration, including designating Mexican drug cartels and certain gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. Tom Homan, a former border official, mentioned on May 30 that attacks on ICE agents are increasing, with threats against them reaching a new high.
Resistance to ICE operations aimed at arresting undocumented immigrants also includes legal actions by a Milwaukee judge, who allegedly assisted immigrants in avoiding apprehension, as well as the Democratic mayor of Nashville for temporarily releasing the identity of an ICE agent involved in local enforcement.
