Vice President JD Vance visited Los Angeles Friday amid ongoing federal immigration enforcement actions and defended the continued federal presence in the city while also delivering scathing criticism of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom for what he claimed was encouraging "illegal migration" as well as violence against law enforcement during recent protests.
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"You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law, and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder to do their job," Vance said during remarks at a federal facility, flanked by representatives of the FBI, the District Attorney's Office, the U.S. Marines and various other federal officials.
At one point, Vance described the atmosphere in Los Angeles as "open season on federal officers."
"That is disgraceful, and it is why the president has responded so forcefully," said Vance.
According to the White House, Vance's itinerary Friday was to "tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center, a Federal Mobile Command Center, meet with leadership and Marines, and deliver brief remarks."
His plane arrived at LAX at 1:35 p.m., before he headed to the federal operations center in Los Angeles.
Vance's trip follows the recent federalization of the California National Guard by President Donald Trump as well as the deployment of up to 700 Marines to the area. The Marines are expected to primarily protect federal buildings, allowing Guard troops to provide protection for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out raids across the area.
A federal appeals court panel Thursday night rejected a legal challenge by the state of California over Trump's federalization and deployment of the National Guard troops without the consent of the governor, who normally oversees the Guard's operations.
Trump's actions were a response to protests -- some marked by violence, vandalism and looting -- in the city amid the recent surge in federal immigration raids.
Bass on Tuesday lifted a nighttime curfew in downtown Los Angeles in the aftermath of the worst of the unrest, and in recent days the city's temperature has cooled.
"The good news is that the rioting has gotten a lot better, but the bad news is I heard from everybody, unfortunately, the soldiers and marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried it' gonna flare back up," Vance said.
Vance also criticized Bass and Newsom for offering "generous public assistance" to immigrants who "break the law."
Bass -- who, in fact, encouraged peaceful protests and discouraged violence during the height of the recent unrest -- was planning a news conference later Friday to reply to Vance's remarks.
Visits by the president or vice president typically lead to rolling freeway and road closures to accommodate motorcades, so motorists should be on alert for possible disruptions.
Vance's remarks continued the administration's criticism of Newsom and other Democratic leaders in the state. The administration has blasted local leadership for so-called "sanctuary" policies and accused them of hampering federal efforts to enforce immigration laws and arrest people in the country illegally.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made similar remarks last week during a brief visit to Los Angeles. That visit was highlighted by the brief detention of U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, who was forcibly removed from a Noem news conference, forced to the ground in a hallway and handcuffed. He was released a short time later and met privately with Noem for about 15 minutes.
Trump deployed as many as 4,000 National Guard troops, then supplemented that by ordering the deployment of up to 700 Marines to the area.
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