Gavin Newsom Goes Off On Trump’s Plan to Ramp Up ICE Raids in Blue Cities — Accuses Him of Trying to ‘Consolidate Power’
AP Photo
California Governor Gavin Newsom continued his war of words with President Donald Trump Monday by warning that the plan to ramp up immigration raids in Democratic-run cities across the country was part of a bid to “consolidate power.”
Trump posted a sprawling statement on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to ramp up operations in “inner cities” and Democratic strongholds. Trump claimed that Democrats “hate” the U.S. and use “Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State.”
In a post on Monday, responding to Trump’s new decree, Newsom warned that the president’s “plan is clear”:
His plan is clear: Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power. It’s illegal and we will not let it stand.
The move is part of what Trump has dubbed the “largest Mass Deportation Operation in History,” and was accompanied by language framing major cities as overrun by crime, illegal immigration, and political corruption.
“ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” Trump wrote.
The post followed a weekend of continuing protests in Los Angeles, which began with ICE raids over a week ago. Trump deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to the city over the objections of Newsom, who accused Trump of deliberately provoking unrest for political gain.
