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By Gabe Whisnant and Hannah Parry
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President Donald Trump has responded to Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's dare to "arrest" him over his response to the ongoing protests against raids by Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump was returning to the White House on Monday, when he was asked by reporters about Newsom's taunt to border czar, Tom Homan. "I would do it, if I were Tom," Trump said. "It would be great."
Newsom has condemned Trump's comments, in a post on X, calling them an "unmistakable step to authoritarianism."
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Why It Matters
Wide-scale protests broke out in L.A. on Saturday after ICE carried out multiple raids across the city. The situation rapidly escalated after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard, despite objections from Newsom and other state and city officials.
While the raids are based on federal authorities' legal directives, protests have broken out following reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
What To Know
Homan vowed over the weekend to continue the ICE raids everyday despite the protests, and warned that anyone who tried to interfere could face federal charges, including elected officials.
When asked if that could include Newsom or L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, Homan suggested it could.
"I'll say it about anybody," Homan told MSNBC. "You cross that line, it's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job."
Both Newsom and Bass have criticized the border czar's comments, the L.A. mayor calling the threat "unnecessary" and saying she won't brawl with the federal government.
A defiant Newsom told Homan to "come and get me."
"Trump's border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out," Newsom vowed in a post on X. "Come and get me, tough guy. I don't give a damn,"
"It won't stop me from standing up for California."
On Monday, Homan appeared to row back any suggestions he planned to arrest California's governor.
In an appearance on Fox News, he said that there had been no discussion about arresting Newsom, and argued he had simply been responding to the question asked.
"The reporter asked me, well, could Gov. Newsom or Mayor Bass be arrested? I said 'Well, no one's above the law.
"If they cross the line and commit a crime, absolutely they can.' So there was no discussion about arresting Newsom," he said, adding that he does believe Newsom feeds into the rhetoric that ICE are "being racists, being Nazis."
However, Trump comments on Monday afternoon appear to muddle the matter, after he said he would arrest the governor, if he was in Homan's shoes.
In a post on X, Newsom said Trump's calls for the arrest of a sitting governor were "a line we cannot cross as a nation."
What People Are Saying
Homan told NBC on Sunday, "I'm telling you what, we're going to keep enforcing law every day in L.A. Every day in L.A., we're going to enforce immigration law. I don't care if they like it or not."
Gavin Newsom said in a post on X, on Monday, "The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
Trump doubled down on Homan's warning on Sunday, telling reporters that "officials who stand in the way of law and order … will face judges."
What Happens Next
Both the protests, and the raids, are set to continue into Monday. Meanwhile, Newsom has announced he plans to file a lawsuit against Trump over his National Guard deployment, which he called "an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act."
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