It took them two hours to respond to a riot involving 1,000 people
Acting ICE Director Addresses Los Angeles Protest Amid Nationwide Pushback
Lyons in a statement published in an X, formerly
Twitter, post on Saturday afternoon described the scene as "appalling" and accused Los Angeles Mayor
Karen Bass of prioritizing "chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement." He also alleged that "over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building" and said it took more than two hours for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to respond to ICE officers' calls for assistance.
Lyons stated that ICE personnel were in the city to arrest "criminal illegal aliens including gang members, drug traffickers and those with a history of assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery, and smuggling," and warned that "violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers."