(The Center Square) – After President Donald Trump vowed to expand mass deportations of illegal immigrants, California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused Trump of inciting violence by enforcing federal immigration laws.
“We must expand efforts to detain and deport illegal aliens in America’s largest cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, where millions upon millions of illegal aliens reside,” the president said in a post on his Truth Social website. “These, and other such cities, are the core of the Democrat power center, where they use illegal aliens to expand their voter base, cheat in elections, and grow the welfare state, robbing good paying jobs and benefits from hardworking American citizens.”
“The American people want our cities, schools, and communities to be safe and free from illegal alien crime, conflict, and chaos,” continued the president. “That’s why I have directed my entire administration to put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of mass destruction migration that has turned once idyllic towns into scenes of third world dystopia.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose state is home to the nation’s largest population of illegal immigrants, said the president’s enforcement of federal immigration laws is tantamount to inciting violence.
“His plan is clear: Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power,” said Newsom. “It’s illegal and we will not let it stand.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded to Newsom by calling the governor’s sanctuary state actions illegal and unconstitutional.
“You run a Sanctuary State that illegally harbors foreign terrorists and willfully perpetuates a criminal invasion of the United States,” said Miller in response. “The government of California does not recognize, but willfully and maliciously abrogates, the supremacy of federal and constitutional law.”
Newsom’s press office responded by calling Miller “Voldemort,” the villain from the Harry Potter children’s fantasy book series. Last week, Newsom’s press office controversially shared a picture of Miller, who is Jewish, photoshopped onto a gargoyle, leading Stop Antisemitism to declare the office’s sharing of the image a “grotesque display of antisemitism.”
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have challenged Trump’s federalization of California National Guard units for deployment in Los Angeles amid the ongoing immigration-enforcement-related riots. While a federal district court initially issued a temporary restraining order in Newsom’s favor, a federal appeals court issued a stay on restraining order until a hearing can be held Tuesday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who did not order a curfew until the fifth night of rioting and destruction, said the president is “manufacturing a crisis” by expanding deportations of illegal immigrants.
“The Trump Administration is, once again, manufacturing a crisis,” said Bass. “Make no mistake: this is illegal, divisive, and flies in the face of everything we stand for in Los Angeles.”
According to statements earlier this year by Los Angeles City Council members, approximately 10% of Los Angeles residents are illegal immigrants. This means their removal or departure could have significant implications for local labor and housing markets, and impact the cost of many everyday goods and services that rely on all-cash compensation below the legal minimum wage.
