(The Hill) — Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who represents a southern border district, praised President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and said he thinks activity in Los Angeles is just “the tip of the iceberg” as the Trump administration ramps up deportations.
In an interview Sunday on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Gonzales called the protests in LA “tragic” and said, “Yes, I am comfortable with it,” when asked about the president’s deployment of the National Guard.
Gonzales represents a district that includes part of East El Paso.
“It’s tragic to see what’s happening in LA. I spent 20 years in the military. I fought in two wars. I fought to give people the freedom to protest whatever the hell they want to,” Gonzales said in the interview.
“But what we’re seeing in LA are not advocates,” he continued. “We’re seeing anarchists, and the president of the United States should absolutely put down the mob as soon as possible. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Gonzales said he thinks protests against immigration raids will continue throughout the country as the Trump administration continues to do what it can to deport people quickly.
“I want to see safety. I want to see safety and security [in] all places, to include LA. But once again, this is the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about, you know, 100,000 people … that have been deported. The numbers are about to go way up.”
Gonzales was asked whether he is seeing the Trump administration also target red cities — or whether he thinks the administration is focused on blue-leaning areas, like LA.
“I think what they’re targeting is they’re trying to deport people as fast as they possibly can. What’s going to happen is … it’s going to be across the country. And once again, this is the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
Gonzales said that, under the Biden administration, more than 400,000 asylum-seekers had their cases closed without being able to present their case before a judge.
“So, one could argue that these 400,000 people are in this country illegally and should be deported immediately. One could also argue that these 400,000 people did not get proper, you know, an opportunity to state their case, and they didn’t have that ability,” Gonzales said.
“What I’m worried about is this thing’s going to escalate. It’s not going to be just LA, it’ll be cities all over the country, as we continue to deport people,” he added.
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