TRUMP’S PRIVATE ARMY IS ILLEGALLY ON PRIVATE PROPERTY!!!! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THIS WEAK LITTLE MAN!!! https://t.co/13nJL6JRvG

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 14, 2025

Democracy Docket reports:

Masked and armed federal agents made arrests outside of a Los Angeles museum in which Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) Thursday was announcing plans to redraw the state’s congressional map to offset the GOP’s redistricting efforts in Texas.

The aggressive police operation directly outside the press conference appeared to be an attempt at intimidation, the governor’s office said.

“Where are we? At the Democracy Center,” Newsom said, referring to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. “And right outside, at this exact moment, are dozens and dozens of ICE agents.”

“You think it’s coincidental?” Newsom asked. “Donald Trump and his minions decided, coincidentally or not, that this was a location to advance ICE arrests.”

“Wake up, America,” the governor said. “This is a serious moment.”

Video of the raid showed dozens of Border Patrol agents wearing body armor and masks outside the museum. Some were armed with long rifles and handguns.

Gregory Bovino, U.S. Border Patrol El Centro sector chief, claimed the agents were conducting the operation because unnamed “politicians” failed to make the city safe.

“We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place. Since we don’t have politicians that will do that, we’ll do that ourselves,” Bovino said.

Bovino has a history of criticizing California’s elected officials despite being a law enforcement agent. [Continue reading…]

In the upper ranks of the Border Patrol, 20 officials have the title of sector chief. Gregory Bovino is the only one holding a gun in his social-media profile photo. Most of the others conform to a pretty standard formula: wearing a crisp green uniform in front of Old Glory and the black-and-green Border Patrol flag.

Bovino’s photo is more like a movie poster, or an AI-generated image of a comic-book character. He stands wearing a bulletproof vest against a black background, holding a tricked-out M4 rifle with a scope in his hands. He isn’t holding the weapon so much as cradling it affectionately, like a cellist getting ready to play. Bovino’s jaw is stiff, and his gaze is distant. Several Customs and Border Protection veterans with whom I spoke—who value the quiet strength of professional modesty—think the photo is ridiculous.

And yet, the performative qualities that have made Bovino a sometimes-mocked figure within CBP are the same ones that have landed him a starring role in the promotion of President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign. Bovino, whose formal title is chief patrol agent of the El Centro sector, has been put in charge of the administration’s immigration crackdown on the streets of Los Angeles, more than 200 miles from his office, which sits near the border. While much of the local anger has been directed at ICE, it’s actually Bovino who’s been calling the shots. The guys in camouflage, masks, and military gear running around Southern California car washes and Home Depot parking lots aren’t Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, but Border Patrol tactical teams trained to hunt drug smugglers in remote mountains and deserts. [Continue reading…]