Sen. Cory Booker calls Los Angeles riots 'peaceful,' slams Trump for deploying National Guard

"The reality is, we see peaceful protests launching in Los Angeles," the New Jersey senator said, "A lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the president of the United States is sowing chaos and confusion by arresting people who are showing up for their immigration hearings."

The City of Angels was plunged into chaos over the weekend after hundreds of rioters violently clashed with federal immigration authorities, attempting to impede their ability to carry out deportations. 

One rioter hurled rocks through the windshield of a Border Patrol pickup truck, wounding the agents inside. Images released by the Department of Homeland Security show buildings throughout LA that have been defaced with graffiti of violent messages like "Kill ICE."

Newsom spoke out against Trump's deployment, saying that the president was only sending in the National Guard because he wanted a "spectacle."

"The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles - not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle,' Newsom posted on X. 

While Booker called the protests against ICE deportations "peaceful," he also called the attacks on law enforcement "unacceptable."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy active-duty Marines to the scene if the violence was not quelled. 

Hegseth mocked Newsom in a post on X showing a picture of a group of rioters posing in front of a burning car waving a Mexican flag, saying, "Another 'mostly peaceful protest' brought to you by @GavinNewsom. DEPORT."