About 113 of those people had prior criminal convictions, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The White House stated that more than 330 illegal immigrants were arrested for being involved in rioting in Los Angeles over the past several days and that they will now be deported from the United States.
In a press conference on June 11, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that 113 of them “had prior criminal convictions.”
She said that, overall, 157 people have been arrested for assault and obstruction-related charges, and that number includes illegal immigrants and U.S. citizens.
Earlier on June 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that two people were arrested for throwing Molotov cocktails at officers during the recent “civil unrest” in downtown Los Angeles, while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Leavitt accused one of them of attempted murder of an officer.
The DOJ statement announcing the charges said only that the person accused of attempted murder, identified by the DHS as an illegal immigrant, faces charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device. The statement did not mention attempted murder.
One of the men charged was identified as Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, a Mexican national, who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at an officer during a riot on June 7, according to officials. He was previously deported and has a criminal record, including convictions for driving under the influence and grand theft, according to the DHS.
Wrackkie Quiogue, 29, was arrested for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at officers during riots. Quiogue’s immigration status is unclear, according to the Justice Department, which stated that he was also charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
“When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
“Possessing a Molotov cocktail or another destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.”
He said that “vile attacks,” including ones against officers during the civil unrest, might “have resulted in life-altering or life-ending injuries to police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and innocent bystanders.”
Investigators are combing through FBI video footage, body camera footage from law enforcement, and other evidence on social media, Essayli said in a press conference. Authorities expect to charge more people in the coming days and weeks.
The charge of possession of an unregistered destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, he said.
In the press conference, Leavitt also suggested that agitators in Los Angeles are being funded by an unknown source and said that it’s “a question that everyone in this room … should be asking.” Similar comments and questions regarding the funding of the protests and riots have been made by President Donald Trump in recent days.
The comments come as Trump authorized the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles because of the rioting. The president has said that the military deployment is needed because California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have slow-walked their response.
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit on June 10, attempting to block Trump’s military deployment, but a judge ruled against California and declined to issue a temporary restraining order against the federal government. Newsom has said that Trump is engaging in federal overreach and that he didn’t consult with him about deploying the National Guard.
On the night of June 10, Los Angeles police enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators.
Also on June 11, the DHS revealed the names of nine people arrested by immigration authorities in Los Angeles on June 9 and June 10 who had prior criminal convictions, including one for homicide and burglary, as well as others for drug trafficking and lewd conduct with a child.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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