Noem weighs in on military presence at LA protests
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared on CBS's Face The Nation on Sunday morning, where she was interviewed about the large National Guard presence in California.
Trump has said he's deploying thousands of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to subdue protesters seeking to block ICE from carrying out deportations.
National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles after days of immigration protests
Face the Nation's Margaret Brennan asked Noem about the units currently being deployed. Noem emphasized that Trump's main focus is the safety of law enforcement officers.
Margaret Brennan: 'We are seeing from the President's proclamation that he can federalize- he says, 2000 California National Guard forces for 60 days under Title 10 authorities. Which units are being deployed? Are they military police, and exactly what are their orders?'
Kristi Noem: 'He's putting the safety of our law enforcement officers first. So these 2000 National Guard soldiers that are being engaged today are ones that are specifically trained for this type of crowd situation, where they'll be with the public and be able to provide safety around buildings and to those that are engaged in peaceful protests'
Margaret Brennan: 'Our CBS team is reporting that the California National Guard officers are at that Edward Roybal Center in LA. This is a plaza with a federal building, courtrooms are there, a processing center, a detention center, a veterans' clinic. Are the soldiers going to remain around the federal building? Are you planning to have them go throughout the city of Los Angeles?'
Kristi Noem: 'I won't speak specifically to all the locations where the national- National Guard soldiers will be deployed to, or where they will be conducting different operations as far as security concerns. They're there at the direction of the President in order to keep peace and allow people to be able to protest, but also to keep law and order. That is incredibly important to the President. He recognizes he was elected to make sure that every single person in this country was treated exactly the same, and that we would enforce the laws.'
California governor Gavin Newsom has reportedly objected the national guard being deployed without his request, according to the Breannan Center for Justice. Both Trump and Noem have showed disdain for governor Newsom's handling of the situation.
State's attorney: 'ICE agents acted reasonably'
Margaret Brennan: 'California's governor doesn't want the federalized system here. He says he's got it under control. … He says the Trump administration is seeking a spectacle here. He's saying to protesters, don't get violent, don't engage.'
Kristi Noem: 'Well, if he was doing his job, then people wouldn't have gotten hurt the last couple of days. … Governor Newsom has proven that he makes bad decisions. The President knows that he makes bad decisions, and that's why the President chose the safety of this community over waiting for Governor Newsom to get some sanity. And that's one of the reasons why these National Guard soldiers are being federalized so they can use their special skill set to keep peace. We're not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen.'
In a post on President Trump's social media platform 'Truth Social', he said that masks would not be allowed to be worn at protests. Brennan asked Noem how this would be enforced.
Margaret Brennan: 'President Trump said masks will not be allowed to be worn at protests. Who's going to enforce that and how? And how can you justify it when law enforcement officials have their faces covered?'
Kristi Noem: 'You know what I would say is that the law is going to be enforced, and that I- what the laws are in this country is what we are doing. …It's for the safety of those individuals or the work that they're doing as far as protecting their identity so they can continue to do investigative work, so.'
Margaret Brennan: 'But are you tasking the National Guard soldiers with removing masks from protesters?' Brennan asked.
Kristi Noem: 'National Guard soldiers are there to provide security for operations and to make sure that we have peaceful protests. So that's what their work is, and I won't get more specific on that'
Brennan also brought up the concerns from protesters about the conditions that detainees are facing in the facilities they are being held in.
Margaret Brennan: 'The National Guard troops centered around this Roybal center, CBS is reporting undocumented immigrants attending their ICE check-ins were being detained and held overnight in the basement of that building. And there were lawyers for some of those detainees claiming it was illegal because the migrants were held in makeshift facilities with limited access to food and water. That was one of the sources of the protest. Can you vouch for these facilities? And do you understand what some of these protesters are concerned about?'
Kristi Noem: 'These protests started long before we ended up in the situations that we saw when we were trying to secure these individuals, and the law enforcement officers involved. What I would say is- is getting into individuals in and out of those facilities was extremely challenging when the violence broke out and when things were being thrown at vehicles.'
To watch the full interview with Kristi Noem, visit the CBS News website.
What to know about Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to LA protests
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