Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel issued a warning Saturday as leftists in Los Angeles, California, rioted against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Patel told Fox News, “If you assault a law enforcement officer, you’re going to jail — period. It doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what cause you claim to represent. ”
“If local jurisdictions won’t stand behind the men and women who wear the badge, the FBI will,” he added.
His comments came as tensions ramped up amid standoffs between ICE agents and protesters who tried to thwart illegal immigration sweeps in the area, Breitbart News reported Saturday.
Patel reiterated his agency’s stance in a post Saturday evening, writing, “Hit a cop, you’re going to jail… doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you. If the local police force won’t back our men and women on the thin blue line, we @FBI will.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration said it was sending the National Guard to Los Angeles to address the violence against ICE agents because of its zero-tolerance policy for criminal activity, per Breitbart News. The outlet noted Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to send 2,000 National Guardsmen.
Video footage shows the view from the streets of Los Angeles with people throwing objects at police vehicles:
Another clip shows a car on fire in the middle of an intersection with a motorcyclist flying a Mexican flag while circling the vehicle:
Still more video shows protesters pouring gasoline on cars before setting them on fire:
According to the Fox article, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks said a Border Patrol agent’s hand was bloodied during the riots after being hit by a flying rock that came through a windshield.
“Several arrests have already been made for assault on a federal agent. ANY attack on our agents or officers will not be tolerated. You will be arrested and federally prosecuted,” Banks wrote in a social media post Saturday:
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Saturday that multiple arrests were made for obstructing law enforcement operations, adding, “More are coming” before issuing a warning:
“We are pouring through the videos for more perpetrators. You bring chaos, and we’ll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,” he stated.
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