President Trump suggested he could make a bold decision that would teach California a lesson after the state has offered the administration “no help” in fighting gang violence.
Trump revealed Thursday that he is considering pulling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers out of California as the state has not stepped in to help target the violent MS-13 gang, especially in Los Angeles.
“We’re getting no help from the state of California,” Trump said during a meeting at the White House. “Frankly, if I wanted to pull our people from California you would have a crime mess like you’ve never seen in California. All I’d have to do is say ‘ICE and border patrol, let California learn.’”
“You would see crime like nobody’s ever seen crime in this country,” he added. “And yet we get no help from the state of California.”
The president went on to criticize the leadership in the sanctuary state.
“They are doing a lousy management job,” Trump said. “They have the highest taxes in the nation and they don’t know what’s happening out there. Frankly, it’s a disgrace, the sanctuary city situation, the protection of these horrible criminals in California and other places.”
Trump noted that his administration is “literally getting MS-13 out by the thousands” even though the gang members are “smart,” pointing out that they “actually have franchises going to Los Angeles.” But as an official sanctuary state, California refuses to cooperate with ICE agents and other federal immigration officials in many cases.
“If we ever pulled our ICE out and we ever said, ‘hey, let California learn and let them figure it out for themselves,’ in two months, they’d be begging for us to come back. They would be begging.,” Trump said. “And you know what, I am thinking about doing it.”
California lawmakers balked at Trump’s stepped-up efforts to enforce existing immigration laws as Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris fired off a joint letter last month to the Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan demanding details about upcoming raids throughout the state.
Homan shot back at California Democrats who enacted the laws in the first place.
“I didn’t think these senators were in the business of enacting laws they didn’t want enforced. I’m enforcing the laws they enacted,” he told Fox News.
“We don’t conduct raids,” Homan added. “We conduct targeted enforcement operations. We don’t go into neighborhoods, knocking on a bunch of doors, looking for people that are different than us.”
Trump’s remarks on teaching California a lesson naturally sparked many reactions on social media, with some who were ready to blast the president no matter what he proposed.
Leadership: threatening millions of your constituents with possible violence and pledging to stand by and do nothing. https://t.co/MYIBwdqlIB
— Saumya Narechania (@snarecha) February 22, 2018
No time to divide. Leaders unite. They certainly don’t threaten to expose an entire state – the largest one at that – to peril. If he put a lot more ICE there, locals would have less trouble dealing with immigration issues https://t.co/HVBsruBA5k
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) February 22, 2018
He should do it. The imaginary crime wave will never materialize and I bet California would be a better place without innocent people being ripped from their families. https://t.co/0BwuEopqhT
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) February 22, 2018
Many others were supportive of the idea, agreeing that it may be high time the state learned a lesson.
Trump says he’s thinking about pulling ICE agents from California. That’s actually a great idea. Let the Democrats take care of all the illegals.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 22, 2018
Nope, he’s just letting California have it their way. They don’t want ICE activity in their State. They don’t want to provide the required cooperation with Federal agents…. No problem. Have it your way. Let us know how it works out for you.
— David Meyer (@DavidAMeyer) February 23, 2018
Leftist can’t make up their minds. Now you want ICE but don’t want them to do their job? You just want your own way.
— dcorbellawatkins (@dcorbellawatkin) February 23, 2018
CA wants to turn a blind eye to Fed Laws? Well, if you wanna play with the big boys, don’t cry when you finally get what you want: ICE not responding to anything!!!
— Paul Inouye (@pinouye50) February 23, 2018
What??? Now you’re saying he should put more ICE there? Even though time and again California makes it near impossible for ICE to do its job. Dude, pick your argument. Either you think his immigration policies are evil (i.e. CNN) or you want stricter immigration enforcement.
— Lincoln (@LincolnLikeAbe) February 22, 2018
I’m not sure why there is any hesitation on this. Pull ICE from California now. They don’t want to be part of the US and all they do is resist and waste Federal funds anyway. Let them deal with their own issues.
— jim (@jpsal123) February 23, 2018
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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