Seven House Democrats voted Friday in favor of a GOP-led resolution to condemn anti-immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles, siding with Republicans on demonstrations that became a flashpoint in President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The seven defectors are all moderate Democrats in swing districts. They include two California Democrats, Reps. Jim Costa and Adam Gray, who are both located in the agricultural Central Valley.
Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Laura Gillen (N.Y.), and Jared Golden (Maine) also voted for the resolution. Cuellar, who represents a district on the southern border, has also been notably outspoken in urging Democrats to respond to immigration issues.
Gray, who won his election in November by fewer than 200 votes, told The Sacramento Bee that the resolution was “far from perfect.”
“Messaging bills like this have no real force of law and simply express the sentiments of Congress including the sentiment included in today’s resolution that Congress is grateful for the first responders and public safety officers who keep us safe day in and day out,” he said. He also condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California as “terror-inducing.”
Gillen said she had voted for the resolution in order to condemn violence against law enforcement.
“The First Amendment’s protection of peaceful assembly and speech is a cornerstone of our democracy. However there is no place for place for violence, property damage, and physical attacks against law enforcement,” Gillen said in a statement.
The resolution was introduced and co-sponsored by nine California Republicans representing districts across the state. It described the protests as escalating into “violent riots” with “acts of arson, widespread looting, property destruction, and vandalism” and condemned acts of violence against law enforcement.
The resolution also castigated local leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), for failing to control what it called the “rapidly escalating disorder.”
Protests in Los Angeles began earlier this month in response to federal immigration raids on a series of local businesses. Trump responded by calling in the National Guard, and later Marines, to the Southern California city to restore order.
The mobilization prompted condemnation from Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), and other local officials, who said they had a handle on the situation. Newsom and Bass have charged that Trump’s move only served to inflame protests.
The Los Angeles Police Department made more than 500 arrests over the course of the demonstrations, which were largely confined to a few blocks near federal buildings downtown.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) urged her members to vote against the measure Friday morning, calling it a “partisan resolution to score political points.”
—Updated at 4:15 p.m. EDT
