As California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Donald Trump during a speech at a Los Angeles auditorium Thursday afternoon, Border Patrol agents moved in outside, making at least one arrest.
News footage showed a group of agents in tactical gear escorting a handcuffed individual through the crowd. Speaking inside the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo, Newsom acknowledged the law enforcement presence: “Right outside, at this exact moment, dozens and dozens of ICE agents.”
He addressed the situation directly, saying, “Donald Trump, you think it’s coincidental? Donald Trump’s minions, [border czar] Tom Homan, decided this was a location they’d advance.” Newsom then referenced a comment from Senator Adam Schiff: “Donald Trump, you have poked the bear,” adding, “We will punch back.”
Border Patrol Sector Commander Gregory Bovino told NBC4 Los Angeles that the agency was conducting routine immigration enforcement and detained one individual who he claimed was in the country illegally. He told Fox 11 Los Angeles, “We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place since we won’t have politicians that will do that, we do that ourselves.”
After his speech, Newsom criticized the timing of the arrest, calling it “pretty sick and pathetic.” He said federal agents chose to act at the exact moment his press conference was starting to send a political message about what he called “the authoritarian tendencies of the President.”
Tensions between Newsom and President Trump have escalated since the federal government deployed about 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June to manage protests against Trump’s mass deportation actions. Newsom even sued the administration over the National Guard deployment, and a federal judge held a three-day trial this week to determine its legality. The judge has not yet ruled, though approximately 250 National Guard troops remain in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also criticized the federal agents’ presence, calling it “unbelievably disrespectful” and “provocative.” She said, “They’re talking about disorder in Los Angeles, and they are the source of the disorder right now. There was no danger here. There was no need to detain anyone.”
On Thursday, Newsom and other Democratic leaders reaffirmed their plan to redraw congressional districts in California to potentially gain five additional House seats in the 2026 election. Newsom called for a special election on November 4 so voters can approve the new maps, with state lawmakers expected to officially declare the election next week. The move comes in response to a Texas Republican effort to gain five more seats, which Trump recently described as something the GOP is “entitled to.”
After Newsom’s speech, Senator Adam Schiff shared an image on X of the California flag’s grizzly bear with altered text reading, “Don’t Poke The Bear,” directly addressing President Trump.
