California Governor Gavin Newsom defiantly rejected warnings from government officials and President Donald Trump, who talked about arresting him, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, for opposing the recent immigration raids.
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Amid growing tensions due to protests in different areas of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Newsom has maintained a critical stance against government intervention through the National Guard without the governor’s approval.
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What were the threats against the Governor of California?
Federal official Tom Homan, identified as the “border czar” of the Trump administration, warned last Saturday that immigration operations will continue despite objections from state and local authorities.
According to Homan, anyone who obstructs the enforcement of the law could be detained, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. However, he also acknowledged that, so far, neither of them has crossed legal boundaries.
Newsom responded to those statements in an interview broadcast by MSNBC, in which he specifically referred to Homan’s comments as mere provocation and challenged him to proceed with the arrest.
“He’s a tough guy. Why doesn’t he do it? He knows where to find me,” Newsom commented. “That kind of bragging is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”
Donald Trump also strongly criticized Newsom and Bass, and said that he had instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem; the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, “to take all necessary measures to free Los Angeles from the immigration invasion and put an end to these immigration disturbances”.
Hegseth even talked about using the Marines against the civilian population of Los Angeles.
Mayor Karen Bass also rejected Homan’s threat and pointed out that his comments lack justification. She stated that she has no intention of defying the federal government and that the conversation she had with Homan was cordial.
“I had absolutely no reason to even say that,” Bass assured. “He understands that I am the mayor of the city. The last thing I would do in the world is to confront the federal government. So it doesn’t make sense. There was no reason for that comment.”
Despite the tone of the messages, sources from the White House cited by NBC News indicated that there are no concrete plans to arrest Newsom or Bass.
Homan later clarified in an interview with Fox and Friends that his comments were purely hypothetical: “The journalist asked me, well, could they arrest Governor Newsom or Mayor Bass? And I said, ‘Well, no one is above the law. If they cross the line and commit a crime, absolutely they can.’ So there was no discussion about arresting Newsom.”
Deployment of the National Guard generates rejection
Newsom reported that during a phone conversation with Trump last Friday, following the start of the protests, the president did not express concerns about the handling of the situation or mention the possibility of federalizing state troops.
“We talked for almost 20 minutes, and this topic was never mentioned,” stated the governor. “We had a quite cordial conversation.”
Both Newsom and Bass have expressed their rejection of the federal government’s decision to deploy at least 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, warning that this measure will only intensify social discontent in a city already affected by large-scale immigration operations.
In a letter sent to the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, the governor requested the cancellation of the federal order to regain state control over the troops deployed in Los Angeles County.