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Tense Moments On Third Day Of L.A. Protests Against ICE Raids; Interview With Representative Nanette Barragan (D-CA); Interview With Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 08, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:01:18]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

This is breaking news out of Los Angeles. Live images of what we're seeing on the third day of protest. I want to go straight to CNN's Kyung Lah, who is there on the ground.

Kyung, we were watching these live pictures during the break. We did see some violence going between protesters and law enforcement. What are you seeing from your angle?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're seeing is we're behind the LAPD police line, and now it's clear what they've been doing. They are trying to stop a group of demonstrators who've come from city hall who are marching through downtown Los Angeles and making their way here. They are creating a line so they can no longer protest in front of the federal, in front of that federal detention center, the Metropolitan Detention Center.

And so what you're looking at is the LAPD using their sticks to push the crowd back. Anyone who is not complying is going to face rubber bullets. There's also --

DEAN: I'm hearing like -- yes. We're hearing kind of an explosion, like, is that a rubber bullet that we're hearing?

LAH: Yes.

DEAN: OK.

LAH: So it's a combination of flash bangs. It's like somebody has a confetti gun. There's -- I don't know what that is. So it's just a combination of things that are being tossed back and forth. And what we're seeing is the LAPD using their clubs. Those are fireworks. Those are fireworks.

DEAN: OK.

LAH: So the LAPD is using their clubs to push, to force this crowd back. They are trying to completely clear out the area in front of this federal building, presumably. So what we saw earlier today, that skirmish between federal agents, between National Guard as well as DHS and ICE, that they don't have to basically face these protesters who are blocking vehicles from getting in to the detention center.

So this is what you're seeing. What you're seeing are the LAPD trying to clear the streets. So they were indeed working, you have to presume, working with some type of unified command. And so much of the press where I am basically just watching this unfold, how far they're going to push these people because it is now a sizable crowd. It is a little hard to tell.

DEAN: Yes. And, Kyung, stay with me. I just am giving some context for a second. What you're looking at on the left side of your screen is where Kyung is and where the reporters are. What you're seeing on the right side of your screen is that from above. So Kyung is behind that police line. And we are looking on the right side of your screen at the protesters there in front of law enforcement.

And then just to give you some additional context, the National Guard troops are deployed nearby. And what John Miller was just saying in the last hour is what he believes they're trying to do is set up some distance, to Kyung's point, to try to keep these protesters kind of get them away from the National Guardsmen.

I think, John, you're --

LAH: Get your back against the wall.

DEAN: Oh, OK. Kyung, let's go back to Kyung.

Kyung, what are you seeing?

LAH: OK, so we're seeing a much more aggressive posture now from LAPD. Oh. Whoa. Sorry. The -- OK, so what you're seeing is a more aggressive posture from the LAPD as some of these demonstrators are now starting to throw things. We just had a glass bottle thrown at us. But it doesn't look like we were the target.

DEAN: Be careful.

LAH: They were aiming for law enforcement. So this is certainly what we thought earlier in the day, the potential to escalate.

[18:05:01]

It has begun to escalate. It is not the National Guard, ICE or DHS who's facing off with these protesters. It's the LAPD. So it's really stunning watching this unfold from the beginning of the morning to what we are seeing now. These are people in Los Angeles facing off with their own local police department as they're trying to clear the street. So it looks like some people are being -- whoa, whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get back.

DEAN: You OK, Kyung? LAH: Yes. So. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. OK. And so you can see here some of

the -- Mike. It just looks like some people are being really pushed pretty hard.

DEAN: And Kyung, this is --

LAH: OK. OK. Got it. Got it.

DEAN: Kyung, this is the first time -- is this the first time we're really seeing LAPD in this posture? Have you seen this yet from when you've been there?

LAH: We saw a little earlier LAPD having some conflict between some of the protesters, a small group of protesters about a block away from the -- where the main federal protest was taking place near the ICE detention center. And now we are certainly seeing the police engage much more forcefully in trying to push this crowd. So here's another flank of law enforcement coming through. More LAPD coming in presumably to create a second line to try to contain some of these crowds.

OK. OK.

DEAN: OK. Kyung?

LAH: It looks like the law enforcement here is preparing. You can see that, that's tear gas canisters. They are about to really try to push this crowd back.

DEAN: OK, Kyung.

LAH: Because the Billy clubs weren't working.

DEAN: I want to make sure you're in a good, safe position. Are you guys OK to keep going?

LAH: We are OK to keep going.

DEAN: OK.

LAH: So we're going to move forward just a little bit. It is, obviously, you can tell how chaotic this is right now. I haven't seen, you know, any major injuries. I'm not seeing anyone bleeding. But this is a difficult situation for these protesters who wanted to come here to peacefully assemble, presumably. And let the federal government know what was happening. And now law enforcement, they have to, you know, clear this area that, you know, to try to quell the situation that we've been seeing throughout the day with federal law enforcement and the National Guard clashing with some of these local demonstrators.

DEAN: Yes.

LAH: So --

DEAN: Yes, go ahead. LAH: There's another flank. You can see over here. You can see another

flank of officers who are just lining up to try to deal with the protesters. It looks like they've halted.

DEAN: OK, Kyung, I want to --

LAH: It looks like they have just halted.

DEAN: OK, stay with us. I do -- John Miller is here, too, and he can give us a little more also, in terms of kind of the strategy here.

John, as you're watching all of this, can you walk us through what they're doing? And we're noticing, I see these cars, these like Suburbans that are behind. See, we can see them right there. These Suburbans behind these officers. What's going on here?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So what you're looking at and of course, at the center of your screen, you're seeing, you're seeing what appears to be an arrest in progress.

DEAN: Right.

MILLER: But what you're looking at is the clearing of Alameda Street. Alameda Street is the one that runs right where the entrance to the MDC or the Metropolitan Detention Center is. That is, can't tell if that's an arrest or something else. But anyway, they're trying to clear that block. Once they own that block, they will have effectively pushed the protesters back to a place where there's a safe distance between them and the National Guard, and they will have cleared Alameda Street, which is where they would be bringing in or bringing out any ICE detainees at that point.

Those black Suburbans belong to LAPD's Metro Division. That is their specialized tactical unit, the Metro Division. That includes Metro, but also LAPD SWAT. And what you're seeing is as they fire those, what you're looking at is that skirmish line, moving them back, trying to get them to clear Alameda so that they get them up to the corner. But you've been seeing them fire these things that look like long guns into the pavement. And that's what they call -- that's what they call skip fire.

So instead of firing gas into the crowd or over the crowd, you just fire it into the street and the gas disperses in the direction of the people you're trying to push back. Why would they do that?

[18:10:01]

They would do that either because the people are refusing to move back or, as Kyung Lah has reported and we've seen on our own video, you've got fireworks being thrown from the crowd, you've got debris and bottles, glass being thrown from the crowd, and they're trying to speed up their ability to not lose that momentum, to get that crowd to the corner so that they can form that skirmish line.

One of the things that, you know, we would do in the New York City Police Department would be, we would have barricades on hand, bicycle rack, they call it, you know, the metal barricades. And we would string those on either side of the street and we'd have a police presence behind those, and that would form a line. Here's the protest area. Here's the frozen zone. L.A. is not a city that uses barricades that way. So instead, what you're going to see is a line of police officers being that barricade once they get them to the corner.

But what they really want to do is create a distance between this crowd, which is growing exponentially, and that federal building because, you know, they don't want to lose control of that street. They don't want people clashing with the National Guard. And what they're trying to do is reduce the chances for further violence.

DEAN: And if they get them moved back and get them kind of dispersed, do they worry about them trying to go to another area in town, I guess, or in that area? I guess I'm talking about a broader perimeter that they may have to enact.

MILLER: So we're in a slightly different place than we were before. This is the most interesting thing about the diversity of agencies here because when it was just federal authorities and the National Guard with no local law enforcement on the scene, at the entrance to the Metropolitan Detention Center, the federal jail, there was no one with local authority to declare this an unlawful assembly and to clear it.

In this case, I think what they're looking for is just to create that safety zone between the protesters, the jail, the National Guard, and then if they decide to march they'll move with them. And if they decide to engage in violence or disorder, they may declare it an unlawful assembly and try to disperse them. But with a crowd that size it's easier said than done. So we're looking at an operation that's going to go on for many hours.

DEAN: Yes. OK. John and Kyung, both stay with us. We're going to take a break. We are continuing to follow the very latest developments. You are looking live in Los Angeles, where just in the last few moments we have seen LAPD trying to push back these protesters. We are going to keep an eye on this. We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:35]

DEAN: We are following breaking news out of Los Angeles where you see the crowd has grown there of protesters. Kyung Lah reporting, she's on the ground there. That's her camera there on the left side, that LAPD has declared that an unlawful assembly. That means that these protesters have a set amount of time to disperse. Unclear at this moment about how much time that will be. But we do know that they have made that proclamation, and that there should likely be movement at some point in the coming minutes, hours.

We're going to continue to monitor that. As we watch this, I want to bring in Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan. Congresswoman Barragan represents Paramount, which is where some of these protests happened yesterday. We're looking at downtown L.A. right now. Congresswoman, thanks so much for being here with us. I appreciate it.

I first just want to get your reaction to what we're seeing play out in real time right now in downtown L.A.

REP. NANETTE BARRAGAN (D-CA): Well, we've been telling everybody to keep it peaceful, keep the protests peaceful. This is exactly what the president wants. He wants to create civil unrest. He wants to be able to do that to declare martial law and go down that road. Let's not give him what he wants. We could do the protests peacefully. There could be civil disobedience peacefully. And we're going to continue to encourage people to do that.

There is no place for violence. And so, you know, seeing the bottles being thrown is something that we condemn. And we definitely don't want any violence out there. We don't want any officers hurt. That is not the point of protesting these immigration actions.

DEAN: And do you think the federal government, the president, has made the point that local officials did not have this under control, that that is why he chose to send in the National Guard? Do you think LAPD has this under control?

BARRAGAN: LAPD has it under control. There is no doubt that -- I had a chance to speak last night with law enforcement in Paramount. They had it under control. LAPD cleared out and cleared the streets last night without National Guard. Just take a look at the video. Right now what's happening. LAPD is the one that is doing crowd control.

This is the president's way to create some theater. It's a way for him to grab power. And it's very dangerous. It creates mistrust and it's a misuse of the National Guard.

[18:20:01]

And we know this is his way of trying to control the scene. It's also a way for him to distract from his failed policies. We know he always goes right to immigration when he's failing in other things, and we know the economy is tanking. He's going to throw millions of people off of their health care. So this is just another way to get back to the conversation on immigration.

Unfortunately, he's targeting California, and we're seeing people who are angry and they're very upset about his immigration enforcement. They don't want these mass protests and -- rather, they don't want the mass deportations in our communities. So they are coming out to express their, you know, have their voices heard and they should do so peacefully. And we continue to encourage that.

DEAN: And listen, you underscore peacefully. And of course, there are some people there who are there peacefully. There are others, as we have seen on the video and as you noted, with the bottles throwing, who are, and they're banging on, we're looking at them right now, banging on a car that are more aggressive, that are even violent in some cases.

Are you concerned at all about the safety surrounding all of this, that the people who are out there, officers and peaceful protesters, will be safe?

BARRAGAN: Well, of course we want everybody to be safe, especially in an environment like this. But this is the president's point in sending the National Guard is to increase tensions, is to try to bait people into doing things that are violent, that are unlawful. You know, this is a president who didn't even send in the National Guard on January 6th when there was insurrectionists storming the Capitol.

So this president has really no credibility when it comes to law and order. And we know from law enforcement on the ground they didn't ask for help. They don't need the help. They certainly don't need the National Guard there. And so it's really a situation where the president is just trying to, you know, show some power.

We did hear that federal officials have said that they're going to do these enforcements for 30 days. So this is something that everyone is going to, of course, be following and watching, very vigilant in their communities, you know, calling the local immigration number, for example, CHIRLA, who can send out lawyers on the spot.

We just need to end these mass deportation and these raids that are happening in Los Angeles. We need to end the militarization, send the National Guard home. We need to make sure people have access to counsel, which is not happening right now in these detention facilities. And we in Los Angeles can protest peacefully, and we certainly don't need the National Guard. If we need it, we know who to call, and our governor knows how to pick up the phone and call for that help.

He hasn't done so because it's not needed. And really, this is just an abuse of power by this president.

DEAN: All right, Congresswoman, thank you so much. As you're talking, we're watching what appears to be an arrest taking place there as they push this line back.

Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, thank you for your time. We really appreciate it.

BARRAGAN: Thank you.

DEAN: Thanks. And again, as I mentioned, you are looking live at the streets of downtown Los Angeles near that federal detention facility. We see what appears to be an arrest of one of the protesters there on the right. You are looking at LAPD officers who have been over the course of the last 20 minutes or so pushing back this line, and we have seen a lot of clashes, frankly, as they have done so. We're going to take a break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:08]

DEAN: Back to our breaking news. Los Angeles police there declaring unlawful assembly for protesters near the city's federal detention center. I want to play you a clip from just moments ago. This is what protesters heard from police there on the ground. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hereby declare this to be unlawful assembly and in the name of the people of the state of California --

LAH: Hold on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and all those assembled on Alameda --

LAH: OK. Four minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and Temple, to disperse, which means to break up this assembly. If you do not do so, you may be arrested or subject to other police action. Other police action may include the use of less lethal munitions, which could cause significant risk or serious injury to those who remain in the area.

Section 409 of the Penal Code prohibits remaining present at an unlawful assembly. If you remain in the area, which was just described, Alameda and Temple, regardless of your purpose in the remaining area, you will be in violation of 409. You must disperse immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: OK, again, that was LAPD just moments ago, telling protesters there at that area in downtown Los Angeles that that is now an area that is -- and a grouping that has been declared unlawful assembly. They told protesters they had to disperse immediately or they would face arrest or risk injury, said that they would be subject to potential police action, which they described could include munitions.

I want to go to Kyung Lah, who is there on the ground.

Kyung, you have been on the front lines there as police have been pushing that group of protesters back. Describe what you're seeing, and are they having any success in dispersing these protesters?

LAH: Well, let's start with that announcement because that announcement of Alameda and Temple, it is right over my shoulder.

[18:30:05]

I'm going to have photojournalist Mike Love zoom in. You can see the number of people here, Jess, who have assembled here to demonstrate at Alameda and Temple. But that announcement from the LAPD is that this is an unlawful assembly. People here have been warned to go home, to disperse, to leave. But I'm not seeing very much movement.

Now, granted, I'm standing on this side of the police line so I can only see the police activity. Only the people who are facing off with law enforcement immediately. But what we have here are L.A. protesters, L.A. demonstrators facing off with the LAPD, and what we've been watching throughout the day are initially it was engagement with federal agents. Mike, can you see this? That you can see that there have been a couple

of people who have been taken into custody. There are at least two people we can see in our immediate view here. So this is what is going to start to unfold as law enforcement typically pick some of the most outspoken or lead agitators and then tries to encourage the rest of the people to go home.

This is about one block away from where we were watching the conflict between these demonstrators and the California National Guard, the National Guard that was federalized by the president of United States, and then DHS, as well as ICE agents. These protesters and demonstrators started at city hall. This is a group that grew since there was one big clash between that federal law enforcement and the demonstrators who gathered outside the street.

We can hear these flash bangs that are still going off. I can't tell what side they're coming from, if they're coming from the demonstrators to LAPD. It does look like LAPD is standing strong. They are just standing, and just, you know, waiting to execute what is going to happen next in this unlawful assembly. But having seen this a number of times, usually you see them start to pick off the lead agitators, the leaders, the people who are most aggressive and then try to encourage the rest of the people to peacefully go home.

This is a position that LAPD certainly based on the releases we've seen did not want to be in, that this was something that as far as yesterday LAPD said the entire day of protests ended without incident, that sending the message that was all under control. So what has happened now is that this is a situation that was created because we saw the soldiers standing at the federal agency at, you know, stopping that entrance.

So, this is now something we are going to be watching over a number of minutes, potentially hours, as this crowd is told to get out of here -- Jess.

DEAN: Right. And so the clock begins on when, how long it will take for that to unfold, and just how many times they will be warned before, as you point out, they try to clear that area.

Kyung, stay with us.

I do want to update everyone. California's Governor Gavin Newsom just posting on X that he's formally requested that the Trump administration rescind its unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County. These are his words. And return them to my command. We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty, inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California.

So again, the governor of California formally requesting the Trump administration rescind their deployment of troops there.

I want to go to John Miller now. John, walk us through what happens now. I know they've made these

announcements, as you were saying. The question was, would they declare this unlawful assembly? They have done that. Now they will make some warnings. And then what might we see?

MILLER: Well, so let's just quickly recap how we got here. They called up a mobile field force from commands around the city backed by LAPD Metro. That means that L.A., the city, goes into tactical alert. What does that mean? That means that police stop answering routine calls. They only respond to priority one emergencies because a large number of officers have been diverted from patrol.

Now they have surged that crowd and moved them off the block of Alameda to the corner of Temple Street. They have declared, an unlawful assembly has been declared for the area of Alameda between Second and Aliso Street. So they want that crowd moved back further. Once they make that announcement, under California Penal Code Section 409, which says it is a crime to remain in the area of a riot or a declared unlawful assembly, they give that warning and they say, if you remain here, we're going to start making arrests.

[18:35:06]

As you have seen, they have already started making arrests. Most likely people that they believe have been involved in disorder. How did this become an unlawful assembly? How did it become something they would term that? I think when you saw them trying to disperse the crowd from the back of the federal jail to get them basically away from the National Guard. When I said they were trying to create a safety zone, I believe they were trying to create a safety zone to move the demonstrators away from the National Guard, who were armed with fully automatic rifles, and have them handled by a police department that was more familiar with regular disorder control.

Now that they've done that, they've taken bottles being thrown, fireworks being thrown, a confetti gun that was shot in the air, and they responded with pepper balls and less than lethal munitions, basically to try and keep that crowd moving. So now they will continue to try to disperse them.

Experience guides us this way. Once they start making arrests generally people will make the decision of who's going to stand and risk being arrested and who's going to go home. That will generally thin out the crowd even more. But you got a big crowd here and this is going to take a bit either way.

DEAN: Yes. And I think something you pointed out there that is key in all of this as well is trying to create some distance between these protesters and the National Guard, which are armed as you -- with those particular weapons. And there is this question of what are the rules of engagement for this federalized National Guard. What is their training in this type of situation versus a local law enforcement training? As you're saying, that may be more used to crowd disbursement and that sort of thing.

MILLER: Well, that is it. And we don't know what those rules of engagement are. The president of the United States was asked, and this was broadcast on our air, and he didn't say specifically what those rules of engagement are, but we're a country that has lived through things like Kent State in 1970, where National Guardsmen opened fire on demonstrators.

The rules of engagement sometimes are set on parameters like you can do what they are doing to you. So if they are throwing things, you can deploy gas or rubber bullets. If shots are fired at you, you can fire shots back. But, I mean, this puts us on a precipice of no police department in the United States of America in any major city would deploy a force at a demonstration, whether peaceful or disorderly, that was fully armed with M4 rifles and 30-round magazines, dressed in in green fatigues.

That is not how police departments deal with disorder. So I think that if you're Mayor Karen Bass, if you're Jim McDonald, the chief of the LAPD, what you don't want is to be coming the backup enforcement for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. What we also don't want is to cede control of your city to the military. And what you're seeing now is, you know, the skirmish line rushing forward towards people, presumably to make arrests and people rushing away from them, which is one of the tactics that they're using to try and disperse the crowd by keeping it moving in directions other than back down Alameda.

DEAN: Right. OK. John Miller, stay with us as we are actively watching Los Angeles Police try to disperse this crowd, which they've now said this gathering is an unlawful assembly. We're going to have Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass with us when we come back from this next break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:43:46]

DEAN: I want to bring in Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as we are watching what is unfolding in downtown Los Angeles.

Mayor Bass, thanks so much for being here with us. I just first want to get your assessment of, we've been watching this live for the last couple of hours. What do you know? What should people know about where things stand right now?

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES: Well, there are a number of protests that are taking place around the city. And unfortunately, in a couple of the areas, there has been an unlawful assembly declared. I will tell you that a sense of fear has been created in this city beginning on Friday, when numerous workplaces were raided. Initially, we were told only violent criminals. I don't know how that relates to a workplace.

We have people that are detained right now and they've not been in contact with their families. They've not been allowed to have legal counsel. And to me, it just seems like this is intentional chaos. You know, I had talked to representatives of the Trump administration earlier on to tell them that the Los Angeles Police Department could control things that were happening here and that there was no need to federalize troops. And so to have this here is really just a provocation and something that was not needed in our city.

[18:45:05]

We're still recovering after five months from the city's worst natural disaster in decades, and now to go through a trauma like this, that is really traumatizing the whole city, because everybody knows somebody in a city where more than 50 percent are Latino. This just sows chaos that is not warranted nor needed in the city of Los Angeles at this point in time.

DEAN: And I know LAPD, as you just noted, declared some of these gatherings unlawful assembly. Is that something you were made aware of before they did that? Did you OK that?

BASS: Yes, I didn't OK it. I don't run the police department. The chief does. But I was aware of it. And what I was told is, is that the protesters had begun throwing things. So to me, it is most important that everybody be allowed to exercise their First Amendment right. But it absolutely has to be done peacefully.

Now, with federal troops on the ground, we do not need to have our city under siege. I remember the last time federal troops were on the ground here, and it was in 1992 when there was massive civil unrest. Nothing like that is happening here. So there is no need for there to be federal troops on our ground right now.

DEAN: And, Mayor, we've seen since the federal troops arrived, there were those clashes earlier today. And then we saw LAPD essentially trying to build some space between where the protesters were located, where the National Guard troops were located, try to spread them out a bit. Now, obviously, they're trying to disperse them.

I'm curious if now that the National Guard troops are there on the ground, if there is any urgency on the police department's part to really put out an even stronger force and a stronger posture to get this under control so you can, and I know your governor has said that they don't want -- that he's formally requested that the National Guard troops go back, that they're not needed. Were those things correlated?

BASS: Well, I absolutely agree with the governor in asking that the troops be withdrawn. I don't think that is a way to bring peace in Los Angeles. I think that our law enforcement officers can handle this situation. But I just have to repeat again, it's a feeling here of intentional chaos in a situation that had not broken out to violence short of a few people, and there's nothing unusual about that. And our police departments can manage that.

But it is as though troops were rolled out in a provocative manner, and I do not see how that is helpful to Los Angeles right now. It's not the type of resources that we need in the city.

DEAN: You and the governor both said this is, that the presence of those National Guard troops is incendiary. Is what we're seeing right now what you were afraid would happen? BASS: Well, absolutely. I mean, again, it's hard to describe the depth

of the fear in the city because of the raids. I mean, you had a Home Depot Day Laborer Center where people were literally running through the parking lot, and it was reported that they had been chased. We had a graduation that was taking a few -- taking place a few blocks away. I know that there were parents who were conflicted with whether or not they should even go to their own kids' graduation because maybe they wouldn't be, maybe they would be detained, maybe it would be disrupted.

The last time this happened several years ago in the first administration, you had kids that wouldn't go to school because they were afraid their parents wouldn't be there. You had people that wouldn't go to work, and you just think of the ripple effects. You have people on the west side of town, far away from downtown, who might employ people in their houses that have green cards that are there legally. But now people are even concerned about that.

Just because I have a green card, does that mean I'm protected? Will I be picked up, too? Will I be detained? Are my relatives that are detained, are they even still in the United States? We know they're not in Los Angeles. They're in an adjacent county. But these people don't even know if their family members are still here or whether they were flown back, quote-unquote, "home." I would argue that Los Angeles is home. Or maybe they were even sent to another country that they have no relationship with, like the people that were sent to Venezuela and they are not Venezuelan.

So this is a sense of chaos and fear, and it's just the last thing that Los Angeles needs right now at this point in time. This is not helpful.

DEAN: Yes. I want to ask you an additional logistical question. This is a question we're trying to get to the bottom of which is these National Guard troops, they're federalized at this point. Are you aware of what their rules of engagement are and are the LAPD -- is the LAPD actively in coordination with the National Guard at this point?

[18:50:01]

BASS: Yes. The LAPD is in coordination. And as I understand it, their mission is to protect federal property, not to be in the streets where protests might be taking place far from the federal building. But their mission is to protect the federal building downtown and the federal building in Westwood. But again, it's the intimidation factor. It's the anger that people feel that then gets directed to the guards.

And how ironic has it been because the guards, the National Guard, has been in the fire area and everybody has just been applauding and cheering them. And now to have this situation take place, it's just really unfortunate.

DEAN: All right. Mayor Karen Bass, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

BASS: Thank you. DEAN: And stay with us. We're going to continue to track what's coming

out of Los Angeles. We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:37]

DEAN: We've got more now on the breaking news out of Los Angeles from the White House. What President Trump is calling, quote, "insurrectionist mobs." He says they're committing violent acts against federal agents.

I want to go to CNN's Kevin Liptak who is at the White House now.

Kevin, the president sounding off on this situation, posting just a few moments ago. What's he saying?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and the president watching all of this unfold from up at Camp David. He's writing on Truth Social that violent insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our federal agents to try and stop our deportation operations. But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve.

The president goes on to say that he's directing members of his administration to, quote, "take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the migrant invasion and put an end to these migrant riots."

So the president very clearly, they're entrenching in this position after deploying this National Guard troops to L.A., which, according to these Democratic lawmakers, has only inflamed the situation further. I think the question now is, as the president watches this, these riots and these clashes with LAPD, whether he uses that as a pretext to deploy additional troops to the scene there.

You have heard from the Democratic governor of California calling on President Trump to withdraw these troops. There's no indication that the president plans to do that. And in fact, as he was heading over to Camp David, the president said, we're going to have troops everywhere. That's a quote, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes. And also interesting that he's using that insurrectionist language. There are questions around whether he will use the Insurrection Act.

Kevin Liptak, thank you so much from the White House. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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