(NewsNation) — Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Tuesday the Trump administration will not be deterred by protests and “will double down” on immigration enforcement operations, including those that have sparked unrest in Los Angeles.
“We will not be deterred. We will not be intimidated by these violent rioters, and we will keep going,” McLaughlin said on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
She defended the deployment of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they are necessary to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who she says are facing increased attacks.
McLaughlin said ICE operations in the past 72 hours have resulted in arrests of gang members, a child rapist, murderers and convicted felons. She criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for calling on the federal government to stop the raids, saying Bass is doing a “disservice to citizens” and immigrants alike.
The protests in Los Angeles began Friday after ICE raids targeted migrant workers at locations including Home Depot and a clothing store. Approximately 1,000 protesters surrounded ICE officers at a federal building, with some throwing rocks and burning American flags while hoisting foreign flags, according to McLaughlin.
President Donald Trump said Los Angeles “was under siege” and that his administration “will not allow the city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.” McLaughlin said Trump showed “moral courage” in deploying additional law enforcement resources.
The LA police chief said his department received no formal notification about the military deployment and that it has created logistical challenges. However, McLaughlin said it took LAPD two hours to respond when ICE officers were allegedly under attack Friday.
Similar protests have spread to Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco. McLaughlin blamed politicians she said compared ICE officers to Nazis, saying this gives “violent rioters a free pass” to attack federal agents.
Reports suggest DHS officials demanded ICE arrest 3,000 people daily, triple previous numbers. McLaughlin said the administration is delivering on Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations, claiming about 75% of those arrested have prior convictions.
