Border czar Tom Homan on Sunday warned California officials could face arrest and prosecution if they “cross the line” following President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles to quell ongoing immigration protests.
Trump ordered at least 2,000 National Guard members to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after two days of clashes with demonstrators, despite state and city leaders saying they had not asked for assistance.
Homan said Trump’s order was not only to protect law enforcement officers but also to “protect this community.”
“The rhetoric is so high against ICE officers in this city that it’s a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt,” Homan told NBC News’s Jacob Soboroff in an interview slated for broadcast Sunday night. “We’ve got help coming, and we’re going to do our job, and we’re going to continue doing that job.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, have criticized Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard, warning it only risks escalating tensions. Both also pointed out on Sunday that Trump posted about the National Guard’s “great job” before any troops had arrived in LA.
When Soboroff asked if Homan’s past threats to arrest anyone who stood in the way of Trump’s enforcement operations were directed at Newsom and Bass, Homan clarified he would “say that about anybody.”
“It’s a felony to knowingly conceal and harbor an illegal alien,” Homan said. “It’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job.”
Homan said he didn’t think Bass had “crossed the line yet,” but he added “we will ask DOJ to prosecute” if needed, referring to the Department of Justice.
“What we’re saying is we’re not going to tolerate people attacking our officers,” he added.
On Sunday morning, Newsom, in a post on the social platform X, claimed the federal government is “taking over the California National Guard” because “they want a spectacle.”
“Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,” he added.
In the NBC News interview, Homan bashed Newsom’s comments and called him “an embarrassment for the state.”
“I have absolutely no respect for this governor,” Homan said. “Criminal aliens are walking in this state every day because of his government policy. I don’t care what the governor thinks of me. I’m not running a popularity contest.”