United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli says no amount of opposition from elected Democrats or rioting from open borders activists will stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from arresting illegal aliens in the sanctuary state.
As riots continue across California in response to ICE agents enforcing federal immigration law, Essayli told Fox News’s Bill Melugin that the Trump administration and Department of Justice (DOJ) will not be deterred in any way.
Protesters stand on top of a destroyed vehicle in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cars burn during a protest in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I asked U.S. Attorney in LA [Bill Essayli] if there’s any world where the LA riots get bad enough that the Feds will stop their immigration enforcement. He said absolutely not — and that the riots will have the opposite effect, leading to more military and federal resources being sent into LA,” Melugin wrote on X. “Nothing will stop their federal immigration operations, he said.”
Essayli also gave a bit of insight into whether his office is investigating rioters who have looted stores, assaulted officers, and set fires to vehicles, among other things.
NEW: U.S. Attorney @USAttyEssayli tells me federal investigators are combing through video from recent protests in LA and will be making arrests. #LosAngeles #Paramount #california pic.twitter.com/u6qfcidiRB
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) June 8, 2025
“Essayli also told me his office has many open investigations into looters, rioters, arsonists, and rock/stone throwers, adding that every piece of available video and social media will be combed through and that the targets shouldn’t feel comfortable just because they haven’t been arrested,” Melugin wrote.
“‘It’s coming,'” Essayli told him.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
