Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Vice President JD Vance ignited political controversy Friday by accusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent protests in response to a wave of immigration raids across Southern California — protests that prompted President Trump to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to the city.
Speaking at a federal immigration enforcement facility during his visit to Los Angeles, Vance framed the unrest not as a response to federal overreach, but as the result of Democratic leadership “treating the city as a sanctuary” and undermining immigration enforcement.
“What happened here was a tragedy,” Vance said. “You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job.”
Misnaming Senator Sparks Outrage
Vance also drew criticism for referring to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — California’s first Latino U.S. senator — as “Jose Padilla,” during a jab aimed at his absence from the event.
“I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question,” Vance said, referencing Padilla’s recent forcible detention by federal officers during a contentious immigration press conference in Los Angeles.
The name “Jose Padilla” also refers to a convicted terrorism suspect from the early 2000s, sparking accusations of a racially charged slight. Gov. Newsom called the remark “no accident,” while Padilla’s spokesperson, Tess Oswald, fired back: “He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots.”
Vance’s office later claimed he “must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.”
Local Leaders Slam Accusations
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass strongly rejected Vance’s assertions, calling them “lies and utter nonsense.”
“How dare you say that city officials encourage violence? We kept the peace,” Bass said at a City Hall news conference. “Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a political stunt.”
Gov. Newsom called the vice president’s comments “categorically false” and reiterated that the state has condemned violence consistently. He also used the moment to push back on what he called the Trump administration’s “authoritarian overreach.”
Federal Raids and Military Response
Tensions in the city began after federal ICE agents conducted coordinated raids on June 6. In response to growing protests — which included clashes with police and property damage — Trump ordered 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines into the city, citing a need to protect federal personnel and restore order.
The deployment, which bypassed California’s governor, was later upheld by a federal appeals court — a controversial legal and political move that many, including Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are still challenging.
Vance’s Silence on Wildfire Aid and Victims
Amid the controversy, Newsom urged Vance to also visit victims of the January wildfires and to secure $40 billion in stalled federal aid that Trump has tied to his feud with California officials.
“We are counting on you, Mr. Vice President,” Newsom wrote on social media.
Vance made no mention of either the aid or wildfire recovery during his remarks in Los Angeles, focusing instead on defending the administration’s immigration crackdown and escalating political rhetoric aimed at state Democrats.
Broader Political Context
Vance’s visit reflects the Trump administration’s efforts to double down on hardline immigration enforcement in high-profile Democratic strongholds, even as tensions flare abroad amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The vice president’s remarks suggest that the administration sees the immigration issue as a political battleground, with potential implications for both federal policy and 2026 elections.
The fallout from his visit is likely to continue, as Democrats rally around Padilla and renew calls for oversight of Trump’s military and immigration actions. Meanwhile, federal raids in Los Angeles are ongoing, and local communities remain on edge.
