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California governor 'did nothing' amid Los Angeles protests, says White House

According to Karoline Leavitt, federal law enforcement officers were attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals waving foreign flags because Governor Newsom was too weak to protect the city

WASHINGTON, June 9. /TASS/. The White House has refuted remarks by California Governor Gavin Newsom that US President Donald Trump has deliberately provoked a crisis in that state over arrests of illegal immigrants.

"Gavin Newsom did nothing as violent riots erupted in Los Angeles for days," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on the X social network, commenting on Newsom’s accusations.

"Federal law enforcement officers were attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals waving foreign flags because Governor Newsom was too weak to protect the city. The Los Angeles Police Chief has even said the riots were getting out of hand," she noted. According to the White House official, "President Trump has stepped in to maintain law and order and protect federal buildings."

Protest rallies against mass arrests of illegal migrants in Los Angeles have continued for three consecutive days. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller labeled the demonstrations and disturbances an "insurrection" and criticized the stance of the Los Angeles Police, whose chief declined to take part in mass deportations. Bypassing the state’s governor, Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to control the situation. They began arriving in the city on the morning of June 8; currently, according to US media, around 300 personnel have arrived.

According to officials, two police officers were injured on Sunday during the Los Angeles protests. Law enforcement is working to clear the city’s main transport artery, a section of which remains blocked by demonstrators. Local reports say protesters have clashed with police, hurling bottles and stones, and have set fire to at least five motor vehicles.

The police have detained at least 56 individuals in Los Angeles involved in the disturbances over the weekend. In San Francisco, where people took to the streets following the protests that swept Los Angeles, about 60 people were detained on June 8.