AOC downplays LA riots as mere 'teens throwing rocks,' pins blame on Trump

"Squad" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., downplayed the recent riots in Los Angeles, attributing the chaos to unruly teens – not violent anarchists – and blaming former President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown for the unrest.
Ocasio-Cortez took to the social media platform Bluesky on Tuesday and said Democrats don't need to "answer for every teen who throws a rock" and that her party was falling into a Republican trap by trying to explain why parts of the sanctuary city had gone up in flames.
She instead blamed President Trump for the chaotic scenes that have resulted in property burned and rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at law enforcement as some agitators waved Mexican flags.
The ugly scenes that kicked off on Friday prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and the U.S. Marines.
"It is 100% carrying water for the opposition to participate in this collective delusion that Dems for some reason need to answer for every teen who throws a rock rather than hold the Trump admin accountable for intentionally creating chaos and breaking the law to stoke violence," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "They are in charge."
Rioters have been seen throwing rocks on police cars and at police while one violent individual was caught on video pelting several moving law enforcement vehicles in Paramount, California, as they drove past him.
He was identified as Elpidio Reyna, and an image of Reyna released by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli clearly shows he is an adult. He is still at large and the FBI initially offered a $50,000 cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
In a second post, Ocasio-Cortez blamed Trump for the unrest, writing that his decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out to apprehend illegal migrants triggered the response in Los Angeles. Trump swept to victory in November promising to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history and arrested more than 66,000 people and deported approximately 65,000 in the first 100 days of his second presidency.
"Everything was fine until Trump decided to unleash violent raids w/o grounds in elementary schools, shopping areas, & peaceful public spaces. ICE then illegally blocked Members of Congress entry into the facilities they are disappearing people into, escalating the situation," Ocasio-Cortez wrote, referring to members of Congress recently turning up at a New Jersey ICE detention center unannounced.
"Let's start there," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky, a competitor to X. She did not post her comments to X and instead shared the bluesky posts to her Instagram stories.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced that ICE arrested a previously deported illegal immigrant from Mexico after he allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement amid rioting in Los Angeles on June 7. He's been charged with attempted murder.
Rioters have also set off fireworks at police officers and vehicles, vandalized property with graffiti, looted businesses and smashed windows of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) headquarters.
California Gov. Gavin Newson and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass have also tried to pin the blame on Trump.
The president and his allies, meanwhile, maintain that he acted boldly and that the situation would have escalated further had he not done so.
"If our troops didn't go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground," Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning. "The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!"

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