President Trump said he supports the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom if his border czar, Tom Homan, thinks it’s the right move amid violent anti-ICE protests in the blue state.
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Mr. Trump told reporters Monday as he arrived back at the White House. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing. He’s done a terrible job.”
His comments escalated a back-and-forth between Mr. Homan and Mr. Newsom that started after the border czar said anyone who tried to stop the ICE raids would be arrested.
Mr. Newsom dared Mr. Homan to arrest him in comments made on MSNBC Sunday, saying, “Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with, tough guy.”
The governor said, “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, and we need to push back.”
Mr. Homan said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Monday, “No one is above the law. If they cross the line, and commit a crime, absolutely they can [be arrested.]”
But he added, “There was no discussion about arresting Newsom.”
“He’s failed that state,” Mr. Homan said. “He waited two days of that city burning and people getting hurt, officers being assaulted, before he made any declaration of unlawful assembly.”
Mr. Homan said on MSNBC Monday that he would not take the bait from Mr. Newsom and he “never threatened” to arrest him.
Insisting his words were “taken out of context,” Mr. Homan said federal officials would not arrest protesters or elected officials exercising their First Amendment Rights, but that no one is above the law if they commit a crime.
“They can’t cross that line of impediment, they can’t cross that line of putting their hands on officers, they can’t cross that line in knowingly concealing an illegal alien,” he said. “These are all federal crimes, they are in statute, and they will be prosecuted.”
Mr. Homan said Mr. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have not “crossed that line, but they are not above the law either,” and will be prosecuted if they do.
Mr. Trump deployed about 2,000 National Guard troops to the city Saturday after federal immigration officers in riot gear fought against ICE protesters for two straight days. The president blamed local and state leadership for the lack of protection against federal agents.
Thousands of protesters had gathered, and some turned violent, to stop the raids over the weekend. They blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire. Law enforcement used tear gas and other methods to stop the protesters.
Sunday was the third day of protesting the president’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in the city.
Mr. Trump backed his decision to send the troops Monday on social media, saying, “We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”
The president wrote, “The very incompetent ’Governor’ Gavin Newscum and ’Mayor’ Karen Bass should be saying, ’Thank you, President Trump, You are so wonderful. We would be nothing without you, sir.’ Instead, they chose to lie to the People of California and America by saying that we weren’t needed and that these are ’peaceful protests.’ Just one look at the pictures and videos of violence and destruction tells you all you have to know.”
He told reporters Monday that the protesters were “professional agitators [and] insurrectionists.”
“They’re bad people, they should be in jail,” he said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta dismissed Mr. Trump’s comments about arresting Mr. Newsom as “more bluster.”
“It is the president and the Trump administration that is consistently and frequently, blatantly and brazenly violating the law, not Gov. Newsom,” Mr. Bonta told reporters in a conference call Monday. “Everything Gov. Newsom has done and is doing is completely lawful and in the best interest of California. It is the president who needs to put a mirror up to himself and realize that the unlawful actor here is him and his administration.”
• Seth McLaughlin contributed to this story.
