News Nation: US Border Patrol to lead DHS operations in Los Angeles

President Donald Trump’s mission of achieving the largest mass deportation in history has been snagged by disappointing migrant apprehension numbers, leading to not only a shift in where the operation will focus, but also, in one case, which federal immigration agency is running point, NewsNation has learned.

Multiple sources within Customs and Border Protection tell NewsNation that the U.S. Border Patrol has been designated as the lead agency for the Department of Homeland Security’s operations in Los Angeles. Sources said that Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino is now running point on the ground amid migrant arrest numbers that have proven disappointing to the Trump administration.

Bovino will report to the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that both the Border Patrol and ICE fall under. However, the shift in Los Angeles is significant as Border Patrol has never had removal authority as ICE has.

It’s a long article — click on the links below to read the rest:

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-patrol-dhs-ops-los-angeles

Guardian: Ice raids in LA continue as armed agents target immigrant communities

US immigration raids continued to target southern California communities in recent days, including at a popular flea market and in a Los Angeles suburb where US citizens were detained.

On Saturday, as mass protests swept the nation, including tens of thousands demonstrating in LA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents descended on a swap meet in Santa Fe Springs in southeast LA county. Video showed dozens of heavily armed, masked officers carrying out the raid before a scheduled concert at the long-running event that features vendors, food and entertainment every weekend.

Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that agents appeared to be going after people who “looked Hispanic in any way”, sparking widespread fear.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-raids-in-la-continue-as-armed-agents-target-immigrant-communities/ar-AA1GPNTK

Newsweek: LA Taco chain closes 15 locations amid ICE crackdown

In a message shared Thursday night on Instagram, Angel’s Tijuana Tacos announced that its Anaheim restaurant will remain open, while its other 15 locations—primarily taco trucks and stands—are closed until further notice.

Though the statement did not explicitly cite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity as the reason for the closures, the post appeared to reference ongoing enforcement actions across Southern California.

They probably don’t want to expose their staff and customers to abusive ICE thugs grabbing anyone who looks brown. Meanwhile, employees at 15 locations are out of work.

https://www.newsweek.com/los-angeles-taco-chain-closed-ice-crackdown-2085076

Newsweek: Ron DeSantis says Floridians have right to hit protesters with cars

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said Floridians have a right to hit protesters with their car if they need to “flee for your safety.”

DeSantis was speaking on The Rubin Report on Wednesday, when he said: “We also have a policy that if you’re driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle, and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety.

“And so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you. You don’t have to just sit there and be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets.”

Note that “policy” is not the same as “law”. Don’t count on DeSantis’s bad advice to save your sorry ass if you drive over someone:

Civil rights activist Heather Heyer was killed after James Alex Fields Jr., drove his car into counter protesters at the Unite the Right Rally in 2017. Fields argued self-defense but was found guilty of first degree murder.

https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-says-floridians-have-right-hit-protesters-cars-2084418

Associated Press: LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue

Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night.

Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble.

The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers).

[Gov. Gavin] Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities.

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-protests-ice-national-guard-f39ba39287f628ce8c8be47c92ea6147

NBC News: As immigration raids continue, ICE protests spread coast to coast

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. A curfew was imposed across downtown L.A. until 6 a.m.

Activists had also gathered in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere, rebuking the Trump administration’s tough stance against migrants and its aggressive round-up efforts, which Democratic leaders in California have criticized as contributing to a sense of fear across communities.

NBC News has counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast since Monday. Some involved only a few dozen people, while others attracted thousands.

The protests took place as federal immigration raids continued nationwide Tuesday, including a “targeted enforcement operation” in Los Angeles, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as a raid at a meat processing facility in Omaha, Nebraska.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/anti-ice-protests-held-coast-coast-l-unrest-national-movement-grows-rcna211980

Daily Mail: ICE prepares full assault on five Democrat cities as LA goes into lockdown amid immigration riots

Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run cities amid the riots in Los Angeles as Gavin Newsom nearly broke into tears while blaming his administration for inciting the California chaos.

The military-style units are set to storm New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern VirginiaMSNBC reported. Four of those five are heavily blue cities, while northern Virginia contains the Democrat enclave of Alexandria. 

‘Look, this isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles, when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation,’ Newsom said, as he teared up. 

‘This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.’

Newsom accused Trump of ‘taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers’ historic project’ of three co-equal branches of government. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14800391/ICE-prepares-assault-five-Democrat-cities-LA-goes-lockdown.html

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Mass protests spread to new cities, with tear gas thrown in Dallas

The President sent another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in LA, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities

President Donald Trump has defended his decision to send another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in Los Angeles, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities.

The protests began Friday in downtown LA after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. Trump on Monday authorized the deployment of 700 Marines and additional National Guard troops to LA as the protests entered a fourth day. It came after an initial 300 troops arrived in the city on Sunday.

The demonstrations spread to other cities including Boston, Houston and Philadelphia on Monday. In Dallas, hundreds of protesters gathered for a rally which police declared was “unlawful.” Authorities said one person was arrested.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

NBC News: ICE protests held coast to coast as national movement grows after L.A. unrest

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

The protests that have roiled Los Angeles seem to be spreading across the country, as activists gathered Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.

Rallies protesting ICE raids and the government’s immigration policies have been planned across California and beyond this week. A series of so-called No Kings demonstrations is planned nationwide for Saturday.

Since Monday, NBC News counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast. Some involved only a few dozen participants, while others attracted thousands to make a stand against the detention and removal of suspected undocumented migrants.

Lots more …

  • California and the West Coast
  • New York and the East Coast
  • Texas, the South and the Midwest

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna211980

Huffington Post: Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem Said An Immigrant Threatened To Kill Trump. The Story Quickly Fell Apart.

Investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would get arrested and be deported from the U.S., a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

A claim by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem that an immigrant threatened the life of President Donald Trump has begun to unravel.

[Bimbo #2] Noem announced an arrest of a 54-year-old man who was living in the U.S. illegally, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would then return to Mexico. The story received a flood of media attention and was highlighted by the White House and Trump’s allies.

But investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would get arrested and be deported from the U.S. before he got a chance to testify in a trial as a victim of assault, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Let’s just say that Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem is one of the dimmest bulbs ever to hold a cabinet-level office.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-trump-threat-ice-arrest_n_683a1761e4b06a21c073aacd