Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused the White House of intimidating elected officials at a press conference, claiming that Los Angeles did not back down and never did. Bass argued that the deployment of U.S. Border Patrol in downtown Los Angeles, near where California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference, was not a “coincidence” and that the administration’s Customs and Border Patrol had gone amuck. Border Patrol sector Cmdr. Gregory K. Bovino stated that similar operations have been conducted by immigration officials in and around Los Angeles since June.
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli pushed back on Bass’s assertions, stating that no person or state is above the law. Federal agents will operate anywhere and anytime within the United States. Newsom rallied support for his redistricting proposal during the press conference, urging the nation to “wake up” to President Trump’s actions as the commander in chief. Newsom emphasized that putting maps on the ballot and giving power to the people will be the first redistricting that has ever done that.
