U.S. Border Patrol agents maintained a visible presence outside an anti-Trump rally hosted by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in Los Angeles on Thursday, making at least one arrest.
Newsom — rumored to harbor presidential ambitions and one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics — staged the event, dubbed “Liberation Day,” to unveil his plans for countering the GOP’s redistricting effort in Texas.
In a social media post just ahead of the rally, Newsom, who is widely seen as a potential 2028 Democratic presidental contender, predicted that “Donald Trump and [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott are going to have a very bad day today.”
Video captured by local affiliate Fox 11 and obtained by Fox News showed more than a dozen armed, masked Border Patrol agents positioned just outside the rally. The footage depicts agents escorting a man away in handcuffs as onlookers shouted in protest.
Speaking with Fox 11, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino explained, “We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place.”
“Since we won’t have politicians who will do that, we do that ourselves. So, that’s why we’re here today. As you can see, already making it a safer place,” said Bovino.
He noted further: “We’re glad to be here, not going anywhere.”
Bovino was then asked what message, if any, he had for Gov. Newsom, to which he replied: “Again, we’re making Los Angeles a safer place, we’re going to continue to do that, and they can take that one to the bank and cash it.”
Newsom’s office sent an all-caps email response to Fox News Digital regarding the presence of Border Patrol and ICE officers at his rally: “WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY WEAK LITTLE DONALD TRUMP, THE CRIMINAL PRESIDENT!”
During the rally, Newsom’s social media team also posted, “TRUMP’S PRIVATE ARMY IS ILLEGALLY ON PRIVATE PROPERTY!!!!” However, no effort was made by Newsom’s administration or the city of Los Angeles to try and remove the federal agents.
The Democratic governor acknowledged the agents’ presence during his speech. “Right outside at this exact moment are dozens and dozens of ICE agents,” he said.
“Do you think it’s coincidental?” he asked. “Donald Trump and his minions, Tom Homan, tough guy. Decided, coincidentally or not, that this was a location to advance ICE arrests. Indiscriminate? Perhaps. we’ll find out later.”
“Wake up, America. this is a serious moment. Wake up to what’s going on. Wake up to the fear, anxiety. Wake up to what’s happening. Not just here in Los Angeles, where we saw our streets militarized, where we saw our due process rights thrown out the window,” Newsom added. “That’s Trump’s America. That’s the moment we’re living in. So, these are sober times.”
One of voters’ biggest concerns heading into the 2024 election was the obscene amount of illegal immigration during President Joe Biden’s term. Trump’s Democratic opponent, now former Vice President Kamala Harris, was tasked with solving the border issue but failed miserably.
Meanwhile, Newsom got some additional bad news this week.
A new poll shows that California voters want to keep the state’s independent redistricting commission, even as Newsom pushes to shift that power temporarily back to the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature.
Newsom aims to redraw California’s political maps in a way that benefits Democrats, countering President Donald Trump’s push for Texas lawmakers to do the same in favor of Republicans.
A POLITICO–Citrin Center–Possibility Lab survey found that only 36% of registered California voters support giving congressional redistricting authority back to state lawmakers, while 64% want to keep the independent commission in place.
Among party lines, 66% of Republicans, 61% of Democrats, and 72% of independents favor keeping the commission. Just 28% of independents support transferring the power to the legislature, the Washington Examiner reported, citing the survey.