Vance will “inspect a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center, a Federal Mobile Command Center, engage with leadership and Marines, and provide brief remarks,” as stated in a summary of the vice president’s travel itinerary.
This visit follows significant anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, which prompted President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard soldiers and Marines. The unrest has diminished as military presence continues in Los Angeles.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom initiated legal action against the administration to retain authority over the California National Guard troops; however, a federal appeals court intervened on Thursday, delivering a substantial victory for Trump.
Los Angeles has been mired in controversy since the initiation of ICE operations in the city.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers asserted that they had refused entry to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at the ballpark grounds.
The Major League Baseball (MLB) organization stated on X that the agents had “requested permission to access the parking lots.”
In response, ICE refuted these claims, stating, “ICE was never at Dodgers stadium, and thus never tried to gain access.”
ICE also addressed the Dodgers on X, asserting, “False. We were never there.”
Earlier on Thursday, demonstrators noticed law enforcement outside Dodger Stadium, initially confusing it for ICE. However, following ICE’s denial, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a statement clarifying that “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly,” and emphasized that it “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
According to a CBP spokesperson, the vehicles present on the stadium grounds were “unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” as stated in their announcement.
An investigation is currently in progress to determine the sponsors of the anti-immigration ICE riots occurring in Los Angeles and other significant U.S. cities, following a statement from a major corporation indicating that it has received requests for assistance.
Crowds on Demand, a firm based in California that specializes in providing on-demand protest crowds, informed Fox News Digital that it had received “numerous high-budget requests” to participate in the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and other areas, but it declined these offers.
A spokesperson for the company stated that it chose not to engage in the events taking place in Los Angeles because it did “not wish to become involved in any form of illegal activity, including violence, vandalism, or obstructing roads without a permit.”
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, revealed that the committee is dispatching letters to various organizations believed to be responsible for the funding.
One of the organizations being scrutinized by Hawley and Republican California Representative Kevin Kiley is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, known as CHIRLA, which is said to be central to the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles.
Kiley also raised questions about who is financing the riots and speculated that California Governor Gavin Newsom might have a conflict of interest.
Additionally, Kiley informed Fox News that CHIRLA had supported a campaign aimed at abolishing ICE.
As per IRS information obtained by Fox News, CHIRLA has been awarded $34 million in government grants, which includes three grants of $750,000 each from the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Documents reveal that the Million Voter Project, which received a portion of these funds while campaigning against Newsom’s recall, has also supported anti-ICE demonstrations.
It remains uncertain if either organization funded any protests, and there is no evidence suggesting that they approved of riots.
