Gavin Newsom Sounds the Alarm in His Speech

Gavin Newsom rang the alarm on Tuesday night in a nationally televised speech, where he addressed the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids happening in Los Angeles as well as the military force (including the Marines) being deployed against peaceful protests.

“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” the California governor said. “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”

Immigration raids have been accelerating in force in recent weeks, as ICE sweeps streets, private businesses, and more to find its detainees. While some of the department's moves feel more targeted, other times ICE workers, often masked, have, as critics have named and complained, racially profiled residents. These nation-wide raids have sparked protests, including in LA where Newsom spoke.

"If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us our safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there," he said. 

The number of arrests during the protests in LA is rising. 200 people were taken into custody on Tuesday alone, per the police department chief. CNN journalist Jason Carroll was briefly detained while reporting, per footage recorded by CNN. Mayor Karen Bass put a curfew in place for parts of downtown LA where protests have occurred, and she said that 23 businesses have been looted over the handful of days the city has protested. 

"This brazen use of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk," Newsom continued in his speech, before addressing the president who he said "wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions."

This also comes after days of back and forth between the California governor and Trump. The president said it would be a "great thing" if Tom Homan, an ICE director, arrested Newsom.

Newsom’s speech was also a strategic move to elevate himself within the Democratic party and unite the party that has famously not had a cohesive strategy in recent years, which political analysts suspect has made recent elections more challenging. Newsom, however, has come under fire from members of the party as recent as April for opinions on transgender athletes in women's sports for example. His speech on Tuesday marked a sort of turning point in uniting against a common enemy. Plus, Newsom has hinted he may want to run for president in 2028. After all, Newsom is approaching his last years as governor as he cannot seek a third term.

With the 2028 election approaching, albeit still years away, Newsom's speech was also a strategic political move to get the Democratic party on one page while flagging the "perilous times" LA residents find themselves in, per the governor. 

In recent days, celebrities have also spoken out about the raids and protests happening in LA, including Doechii who dedicated a fair share of her an acceptance speech at the BET Awards on Monday to addressing what was happening in the city and country. Kehlani, when leaving the same awards show, also showed support for those protesting.