Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a clear message to those rioting and protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations in Los Angeles, California.
During an interview on Fox News with anchor Sean Hannity, Bondi said Los Angeles “looks like a Third World country” amid riots and mayhem in the city over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“What we’re going to do is we are going to enforce the law, regardless of what they do. Look at it out there, it looks like a Third World country, and it’s not. It’s the United States of America. We are not standing for it,” Bondi said.
The attorney general went on to announce that the Department of Justice would federally prosecute people who assault state and federal law enforcement officers.
“If California won’t protect their law enforcement, we will protect the LAPD and the sheriff’s office out there,” Bondi said.
Bondi revealed that nine people are already facing federal charges in connection with the protests, “and more to come,” for offenses such as assaulting law enforcement and looting.
“What we are going to do is we are going to enforce the law regardless of what they do. Look at it out there, it looks like a third world country and its non. It’s the United States of America. We are not standing for it and Donald Trump won’t stand for it. Look at all this — the great men and women in the LAPD. We would to protect them. If they will not protect them and prosecute people that abuse the l.a.p.d. in terms during a civil unrest under 18 USC 2:30:1, we can prosecute federally people who assault state law enforcement officers with a maximum of five years in prison, and we are going to do it,” Bondi said.
“We are go to prosecute them federally. If California won’t protect their law enforcement we won’t … Not only that, we have nine open cases right now and more to come on assaulting federal officers. The molotov cocktail cases that you’ve seen, we charged one and more to come. The looters, they began to loot last night going into 7-eleven and drugstores. Typically you don’t charge those we do under federal law now,” Bondi added.
“Under the Hobbs act we are charging robbery. You loot a business in California you were looking at maximum of 20 years in prison. You spit on a federal law enforcement officer no more. As President Trump said, you spit we hit. If you spit on a federal law enforcement officer we’re going to charge you with a crime federally. You are looking at up to five years maximum in prison,” she declared.
Bondi continued, “The case where the guy was breaking up the cinder blocks and he was throwing them at police cars that — the federal officer had injured his hand. He was wearing a mask. FBI has identified him. Our incredible U.S. attorney out there working with… Have been doing a remarkable job that guy has just been identified and they are doing a search warrant on his house as we speak. And he’s been identified. To see his face, he’s going to be on the most wanted list. You have broken the news, is faces out there. That’s him. He’s been identified by great police work by the FBI. So you can run, you can’t hide. We are coming after you federally. If you assault a police officer, if you rob a store, if you loot or spit on a police officer we are coming after you.”
