González-Rojas calls Trump a ‘fascist’ over federal response to anti-ICE demonstrations

Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas is condemning President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marine Corps to Los Angeles, calling him a “fascist” and describing the move as a response to growing public outrage over his administration’s immigration policies.

González-Rojas said the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles demonstrate that “people have had enough” of what she described as Trump’s “abhorrent and terrifying” approach to immigration enforcement.

Her comments followed Trump’s decision to federalize the California National Guard on Saturday, June 7, in response to anti-ICE demonstrations that began on June 6.

The Trump administration said the deployment was necessary to protect immigration officials following confrontations between protestors and law enforcement on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It marked the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president has federalized a state’s National Guard without a formal request from its governor, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to call the move “illegal” and an “unprecedented power grab.”

Newsom also criticized the deployment as premature and inflammatory, and later filed an emergency motion in federal court to challenge Trump’s order.

In addition to the National Guard, 700 Marines have been sent to Los Angeles, escalating the federal response to protests that erupted in reaction to a series of ICE raids carried out in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

González-Rojas joined other Queens lawmakers in denouncing the escalation, calling the President’s actions “unacceptable” and “unconscionable.”

“I’m at a loss for words to explain what’s happening,” González-Rojas said Tuesday. “We cannot use our military in that fashion.”

She attributed the protests to widespread frustration with recent ICE actions, specifically the detention of immigrants who are either lawfully present in the country or actively pursuing legal status.

“Many of the immigrants that they’re picking up are here lawfully. They are pursuing their asylum cases or the refugee cases, or they are legal permanent residents,” González-Rojas said.

The protests in Los Angeles began after ICE agents conducted raids in neighborhoods with large Latino populations, leading to tense standoffs between demonstrators and federal agents. Although the Los Angeles Police Department did not participate in the raids due to the city’s sanctuary policies, officers were later deployed as protests escalated outside ICE detention centers.

González-Rojas described the federal immigration raids as “absolutely horrifying” and warned that New York could face a similar response if protests break out here.

“I have no doubt that Trump would deploy the military in New York if similar demonstrations take place,” she said.

“He said he was going to focus on criminals, and they are not focusing on criminals,” she added. “They’re focusing on students, on people seeking health care, people exercising their rights—people who are lawful in this country and have done nothing wrong. So he’s proven to be a liar and a white supremacist.”

González-Rojas cited the recent detention of a high school student enrolled at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, who was taken into custody ahead of an immigration court hearing. She said the incident highlights how vulnerable communities in New York could also become targets of federal enforcement, and warned that the city should be prepared for the possibility of troop deployment if protests erupt in response.

“He’s showing us who he is, and I think we have to take that very seriously,” González-Rojas continued. “Residents of this country are exercising our constitutional right to protest… it is abhorrent and terrifying what’s currently happening.”

González-Rojas was not alone in her criticism of the President’s actions. Several Queens lawmakers also condemned the deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles in response to the protests.

Assembly Member and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani expressed “solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters” in Los Angeles and denounced the ICE raids that triggered the demonstrations.

“People deserve to be safe in their homes, workplaces, schools and neighborhoods,” Mamdani said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will not allow this administration—or anyone—to strip away the dignity and humanity that every person deserves.”

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez described the events unfolding in Los Angeles as “chilling” and said they underscore the need for statewide legislative action.

“We are seeing the violent arm of a broken immigration system and a fascist federal administration that’s targeting working families and our most vulnerable communities,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

She renewed her call to pass the New York for All Act, which would prohibit local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

“No local or state agency should collaborate with ICE,” Gonzalez said. “Our communities deserve sanctuary, not surveillance.”

González-Rojas echoed that call, urging the state legislature to pass the bill before the Assembly adjourns for the summer on June 17.

“It’s not a crime to be an immigrant in this country,” she said. “It’s a civil violation if you’re unlawfully here without legal status, but we should not be wasting our local and state police and law enforcement on civil matters. Of course, if someone breaks a law, that’s a different story.”

State Sen. Jessica Ramos also denounced the President’s actions, accusing Trump of “building his brand on punishing immigrants.”

“Now, that cruelty is showing its teeth in Los Angeles,” Ramos said in a statement. “Sending in the National Guard, Marines, and militarized police isn’t about safety. It’s about fear. It’s violence paid for with our own tax dollars, and it’s meant to silence and disappear the very people who built this country with their labor and sacrifice.

“We should be investing in care, not escalation. If D.C. wants to bring the hammer down on immigrant communities, they’ll find me standing in the way every damn time.”

Not all Queens lawmakers were critical of the President over his handling of demonstrations in Los Angeles, however.

Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino has issued several statements on X since demonstrations and rioting began on Friday, calling for demonstrators who burned vehicles to be deported.

Responding to a video of protestors appearing to throw rocks at law enforcement agents, Paladino described such acts as “attempted murder.” She also called for deadly force to be used against rioters or protestors who throw objects such as stones at law enforcement agents.

“Rioters are throwing concrete blocks and stones at federal officers. These can very easily kill,” Paladino said on X. “They are committing attempted murder; at the very least assault with a deadly weapon. There is absolutely no reason not to use deadly force on them. At some point, patience is going to have to run out and the feds will have to do what’s necessary.

Paladino also criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after Bass expressed anger at reports that ICE was conducting raids at various locations across the city. Bass posted that ICE raids “sow terror” into communities and added that her office reached out to immigrant rights groups in the wake of the raids.

We will not stand for this. pic.twitter.com/Ug1CN4JKOz

— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 6, 2025

Paladino, however, accused Bass of “coordinating” with groups that facilitate rioters.

“Progressive mayor of a major city is just straight-up advocating riots, and coordinating with groups who facilitate the rioters,” Paladino wrote.