Violence in Los Angeles has dulled but federal officials worry that it could “flare back up,” Vice President J.D. Vance said Friday as he toured the federal buildings in the city that had been under siege from protesters.
Mr. Vance also blamed local officials not only for not helping out but making things worse, saying they fueled the protests that forced President Trump to deploy the National Guard.
“What happened here was a tragedy. You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law, and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder to do their job. That is disgraceful,” he said.
His visit came hours after a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Mr. Trump’s deployment, saying he can keep the troops in place while Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legal challenge continues. The three-judge panel said the law gives Mr. Trump broad leeway to federalize the guard.
Mr. Vance specifically blamed Mr. Newsom for prodding the violence and making it “open season on federal law enforcement.”
“When Gavin Newsom encourages violence and rioting, when he encourages people to get in the face of our great Border Patrol officers, he is absolutely endangering the lives of federal law enforcement,” the vice president said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says assaults on its officers are up 500% as they go out into communities to arrest illegal immigrants whom they say are being protected by sanctuary jurisdictions such as Los Angeles.
The violence started two weeks ago, on June 6. The day after that, Mr. Trump deployed the National Guard, then added active-duty Marines.
They are not conducting law enforcement but are protecting federal buildings and accompanying ICE officers as they go out into the city.
Mr. Vance said things have cooled, but the federal agents and officers he spoke with want the troops to stay.
“They’re worried it’s going to flare back up,” he said.
