WASHINGTON — The House formally condemned the protests in Los Angeles seeking to thwart the raids and arrests of undocumented immigrants, with lawmakers breaking mostly along party lines on whether to denounce the demonstrations.
Lawmakers passed a resolution condemning the riots in a 215-195 vote on Friday, with seven Democrats joining all Republicans to support the measure. All four members of Utah’s delegation voted in favor of the resolution.
“Burning cars and attacking law enforcement officers should never be considered a ‘peaceful protest’ in America. Democrats just failed to condemn the violent riots in Los Angeles and to express support for our law enforcement officers. Their derangement is on full display,” Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the chairwoman of the House GOP Conference, said in a statement. “The contrast is clear: Democrats side with violent criminal illegal aliens, while Republicans will always stand with our heroic law enforcement officers. Shame on them.”
While the resolution “recognizes the right to assemble and protest peacefully,” the legislation “unequivocally” condemns the instances of violence that erupted at some protests that were aimed toward law enforcement agencies. The bill also calls on local and state lawmakers in California to “work with the federal government” to end the protests and “restore peace.”
Tucked in the bill is also language expressing gratitude to law enforcement officials involved in the protests, specifically naming the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Democrats who opposed the measure accused their Republican colleagues of “distort(ing) the facts of what really happened in LA,” noting they oppose violence but found the Trump administration responsible for any chaos that ensued.
“(The resolution) paints a false picture of widespread chaos across LA in an effort to justify and legitimize Donald Trump’s dangerous decision to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines,” Rep. Nannette Barragan, D-Calif., said in a post on X. “Angelenos have exercised their First Amendment right to peacefully protest federal ICE raids that have terrorized our communities.”
The resolution is largely a symbolic measure as it does not carry any legislative action. Instead, the measure simply expresses a sentiment without requiring any further action by the Senate or president. The Senate is not slated to consider a similar resolution.