U.S. Border Patrol agents maintained a highly visible presence outside an anti-Trump rally hosted by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in Los Angeles on Thursday, making at least one arrest.
The event, dubbed “Liberation Day,” saw Newsom — a rumored 2028 presidential contender and vocal critic of former President Donald Trump — unveil his plans to counter the GOP’s redistricting efforts in Texas. Just ahead of the rally, Newsom predicted on social media that “Donald Trump and [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott are going to have a very bad day today.”
Video obtained by Fox News from local affiliate Fox 11 showed over a dozen armed, masked Border Patrol agents stationed outside the rally, escorting a man in handcuffs as onlookers shouted in protest.
Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino told Fox 11, “We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place. Since we won’t have politicians who will do that, we do that ourselves. So, that’s why we’re here today.” He added, “We’re glad to be here, not going anywhere,” and when asked about a message for Newsom, Bovino said: “Again, we’re making Los Angeles a safer place… they can take that one to the bank and cash it.”
Newsom’s office responded in an all-caps email to Fox News Digital: “WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY WEAK LITTLE DONALD TRUMP, THE CRIMINAL PRESIDENT!” During the rally, Newsom’s social media team also wrote, “TRUMP’S PRIVATE ARMY IS ILLEGALLY ON PRIVATE PROPERTY!!!!” Yet neither the governor’s office nor the City of Los Angeles attempted to remove the federal agents.
Acknowledging the presence of federal officers during his speech, Newsom said, “Right outside at this exact moment are dozens and dozens of ICE agents. Do you think it’s coincidental? Donald Trump and his minions… decided, coincidentally or not, that this was a location to advance ICE arrests. Indiscriminate? Perhaps. We’ll find out later.”
He continued: “Wake up, America. This is a serious moment. Wake up to what’s going on. Wake up to the fear, anxiety… Not just here in Los Angeles, where we saw our streets militarized, where we saw our due process rights thrown out the window. That’s Trump’s America. These are sober times.”
The rally comes amid ongoing debate over immigration, which remains a top concern for voters ahead of the 2024 election, and California’s political maps. A recent POLITICO–Citrin Center–Possibility Lab poll shows 64% of registered California voters want to keep the independent redistricting commission, despite Newsom’s push to temporarily shift that authority to the Democratic-controlled legislature.
Newsom’s plan seeks to redraw California’s political maps in ways favorable to Democrats, countering efforts by Trump and GOP lawmakers in Texas to do the same. The survey found broad support for keeping the independent commission: 66% of Republicans, 61% of Democrats, and 72% of independents oppose returning redistricting power to the legislature.