A lead attorney for the Department of Homeland Security suggested that federal agents should have “just started hitting the rioters and arresting everyone that couldn’t get away” during an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles last June, internal emails show. In it, attorneys for Homeland Security appear to be discussing the June 9 lawsuit filed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom over President Trump’s deployment of thousands of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Trump administration claim not backed up by court records The Trump administration has cited a more than 1,000% increase in assaults on immigration agents to justify aggressive tactics. The protests last summer caused significant property damage in a small section of downtown Los Angeles.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 27, 2026 16:00 UTC