Los Angeles protesters will not stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from performing their duties to arrest illegal migrants, border czar Tom Homan said.
During an interview with NBC News on Tuesday night, Homan admitted that protests had slowed ICE operations in the city but added that officers were “going ahead” and making arrests.
“They’re making it more difficult,” Homan said of the demonstrators. “They’re making it more dangerous.”
“We’ve been running the ICE operation in Los Angeles every single day during this protest, and we’re arresting a lot of bad people in that city, and we’re going to continue to do that. They’re not going to stop us. They’re not going to slow us down.”
President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city against the wishes of California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests and have not engaged protesters.
Trump deployed the troops to help protect federal property and ICE officers who were subjected to protests while trying to arrest illegal migrants.
“It’s like we’re a third world nation where people think it’s OK to threaten the life and safety of federal law enforcement officers and their families,” Homan said of the demonstrations.
“More officers have been hurt than protesters have been hurt.”
While speaking to CNN on Monday night, Homan blamed the Marines’ presence on the protesters.
“Yes, it all depends on the activities of these protesters — I mean, they make the decisions. I keep hearing reports that they’re rioting because President Trump sent National Guard here, it’s just ridiculous,” Homan told CNN.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen tonight — it seems like at night, the crowds get bigger, the violence peaks. So we want to be ahead of the game. We’ll be well prepared for the military here to protect government property and protect officers’ lives.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
