Governor Katie Hobbs sanctioned the anti-ICE riots which swept California over the weekend.
Katie Hobbs is inviting chaos on our streets. pic.twitter.com/FHyOq7NUfZ
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) June 8, 2025
Hobbs co-signed a statement condemning President Donald Trump for dealing with the California riots by deploying the National Guard. Hobbs’ fellow Democratic Governors Association (DGA) signed onto the statement:
“President Trump’s move to deploy California’s National Guard is an alarming abuse of power. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a state’s governor is ineffective and dangerous.
Further, threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement.
It’s important we respect the executive authority of our country’s governors to manage their National Guards — and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation.”
https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1931823848879726674
The riots occurred in response to the ICE raids arresting illegal immigrants in Los Angeles workplaces.
https://x.com/LauraJedeed/status/1931917620162531396
In their three days of rioting, Los Angeles rioters committed a wide variety of violent crimes, including obstruction of immigration enforcement, assault of local and federal law enforcement as well as first responders, destruction and vandalization of public property, looting of stores, and shutting down public roadways.
https://x.com/KickClipssss/status/1931906577919074780
https://x.com/BGOnTheScene/status/1931875366307815645
A protest also took place on Sunday in downtown Phoenix. However, this didn’t devolve into rioting.
https://x.com/trentonhooker/status/1931897781855424567
This recent protest is in addition to the weekly “Rush-Hour Resistance Rallies” in Phoenix, an unfunded coalition of activists with non-monetary support for Indivisibile, Desert Democracy, 50501 Arizona, Tempe Rising Indivisible, Copper Star Coffee, and Serafina Coffee Roasters. Several more are planned to take place on Tuesday and Thursday this week during the morning rush hour.
A longtime podcaster and Phoenix-based activist, Travis Unwin (“Evo Terra”), organized the first of these weekly rush-hour rallies.
Not all Democrats are in lockstep on the anti-ICE riots.
The U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, disavowed the riots as antithetical to free speech, peaceful protesting, and lawful immigration.
“This is anarchy and chaos,” said Fetterman. “My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.”
https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1932234335425323417
On Monday, the federal government deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal personnel and property.
https://x.com/ICEgov/status/1932209139503026308
Governor Hobbs’ alliance with Democratic governors against Trump’s intervention in anti-ICE riots conforms to her belief that not all who commit crimes are criminals. In a statement last month responding to the arrests of illegal immigrants outside Phoenix immigration hearings, Hobbs said she opposed the arrest of all illegal immigrants — indicating she doesn’t believe violations of immigration law automatically confer criminal status.
“We need to prioritize efforts to deport criminals and secure the border,” said Hobbs. “Indiscriminately rounding up people following the rules won’t make us safer.”
https://x.com/GovernorHobbs/status/1925352153658663098