California Governor Gavin Newsom dared President Donald Trump and Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan to arrest him for "impeding" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents amid clashes between law enforcement and protesters in Los Angeles in response to the Trump administration's immigration raids.
California National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday after Trump signed an order deploying 2,000 service members to crackdown on escalating immigration protests. Demonstrators are demanding that ICE stand down after raiding multiple locations across the city including in Compton and Paramount.
Homan warned Saturday that immigration operations would continue in the city despite criticism from Democrats who say the federal government is stoking a crisis. He also threatened arrests for anyone obstructing the enforcement effort and did not exclude Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in his remarks.
Homan said:
“I’ll say about anybody. You cross that line, it’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It’s a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job.”
Trump himself told reporters that Homan "should" arrest Newsom because "I think it'd be great," which you can see in the clip below.
Newsom was unfazed however, and dared Trump and Homan to follow through while speaking to MSNBC:
"Get your hands off these poor people, they’re just trying to live their lives and pay their taxes. ... Who the hell is this guy? Come after me. Arrest me. Let's get this over with."
"I don't give a damn. But I care about my community, I care about this community. The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up, they need to stop."
“He’s a tough guy. Why doesn’t he do that? He knows where to find me."
"That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go."
You can hear what Newsom said in the video below.
Newsom also posted the clip of his remarks to X, writing:
"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."
You can see his post below.
Many have backed Newsom in response.
White House officials who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity said that as of now federal officials and Trump are not seriously considering arresting Newsom or Bass.
One official conceded that the "optics" for Republicans would not look very good if Newsom were arrested because he has not openly broken any laws. Homan insisted to Fox News that there has been "no discussion" about arresting Newsom.
@LauraLoomer/X
