A prominent sheriff in California has accused the state’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom of playing a role in the violent riots that erupted across Los Angeles over the weekend.
As unrest exploded again in Los Angeles over the weekend in response to ICE enforcement operations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released detailed information on more than a dozen violent illegal aliens apprehended in the city.
Those captured were criminals who federal officers say pose a direct threat to public safety.
According to DHS, ICE officers arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants, including many with serious felony convictions ranging from rape and second-degree murder to robbery, narcotics smuggling, and child trafficking.
The agency singled out 19 individuals arrested on June 7, underscoring the dangerous nature of those being shielded by local sanctuary city policies.
“America’s brave ICE officers are removing the worst of the worst from LA’s streets,” DHS said, while pointing the finger at Gov. Newsom and the city’s Democrat Mayor Karen Bass.
DHS accused Newsom and Bass of actively undermining public safety.
As the city reels from violent unrest and mounting assaults on law enforcement, critics say Democrat leadership has created an environment where criminals thrive and officers are vilified.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican running for governor, did not mince words:
“This isn’t protest — it’s organized, politically driven violence,” he said.
“Governor Newsom knows nothing about law enforcement and should step aside.
“His rhetoric is enabling this chaos.”
Sheriff Bianco warned that what’s happening in LA is antithetical to the U.S. Constitution, describing the riots as politically motivated intimidation meant to shut down the rule of law.
The list of those ICE arrested reads like a most-wanted bulletin:
Cuong Chanh Phan, a convicted murderer involved in a deadly 1994 gang shooting at a high school party that left two teens dead and seven injured.
Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, with convictions for rape and sexual assault with a foreign object, sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Cielo Vivar-Ubaldo, convicted of sex with a minor, narcotics crimes, and hit-and-run.
Jordan Mauricio Meza-Esquibel, guilty of domestic violence and drug trafficking.
Lionel Sanchez-Laguna, charged with discharging a firearm into a dwelling, child cruelty, and assault with a semi-automatic weapon.
Yet these individuals, DHS noted, are exactly who left-wing leaders are defending in their relentless push to undermine ICE and federal immigration enforcement.
“This criminal illegal alien is who Governor Newsom, Mayor Bass, and the rioters in Los Angeles are trying to protect over U.S. citizens,” DHS stated bluntly on social media.
In a scathing statement, ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called out Democrats for enabling violence through dangerous rhetoric:
“Make no mistake — Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass are contributing to the surge in assaults on our ICE officers,” she said.
“Comparisons to Nazi gestapo, glorifying rioters — this rhetoric has consequences.
“This violence against ICE must end.”
ICE reports a 413% increase in assaults on its officers.
In response, the California National Guard is being deployed to assist with federal security operations.
Rioters have already been arrested for slashing tires, damaging government buildings, and attacking federal officers.
Despite the violence, ICE says it has ramped up enforcement, arresting over 2,000 illegal aliens per day this week and vowing to continue protecting communities, no matter the political backlash.
The agency emphasized that American citizens, including law enforcement and innocent families, are the ones paying the price for failed “sanctuary” policies that turn cities into criminal havens.
“Our officers are simply doing their jobs,” said a DHS spokesperson.
“We urge politicians to tone down the rhetoric and let law enforcement protect the American people.”
