(The Hill) — FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino defended four Los Angeles raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after Democrats said the effort was sparking terror in the city.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said more than 800 gathered to protest the arrests of dozens, including a local labor union president. The large group breached the first layer of a federal law enforcement building in Los Angeles and sprayed graffiti on cars, per a DHS official.
“The Right to assemble and protest does not include a license to attack law enforcement officers, or to impede and obstruct our lawful immigration operations,” Bongino wrote in a Saturday post on X, stating the agency is investigating the incident.
“The days of chaos ruling the streets are over. Either obey the law, or go to jail, there’s no third option,” he added.
Patel taunted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-CA.), who shared a post declaring that she wouldn’t stand for the law enforcement efforts that “deeply angered” her and other constituents.
The FBI chief responded in a quote tweet with the statement, “We will.”
White House slams LA ‘insurrection’ as protests erupt over raids
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also chimed in, telling Bass, “You have no say in this at all. Federal law is supreme and federal law will be enforced.”
However, Democratic lawmakers said many of those detained are lawful asylum seekers who will now sit in overpopulated ICE facilities without a chance to defend themselves in court.
“Overcrowding is so bad that women and children are being forced to sleep outside in tents. Meanwhile, the lights in the building shut off at 5pm. Families are sitting in pitch black…” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) said in a statement.
“According to attorneys on site, ICE claims it can detain people indefinitely even if they have a legal stay. That means even if a court says they can’t be deported, ICE keeps them locked up anyway,” he added.
Gomez, along with California Democratic Reps. Norma Torres, Lou Correa and Luz Rivas, on Saturday visited a facility in downtown Los Angeles holding detained individuals seeking information on the situation.
