Fox News political analyst Juan Williams sparked backlash Tuesday after minimizing the violent unrest in Los Angeles, claiming the city was “pretty quiet last night” despite ongoing chaos.
The riots erupted after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid that led President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to stabilize the situation. The move followed days of destruction, including fires, assaults, and widespread looting across L.A.
During “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Williams acknowledged some violence before downplaying the situation. “I think we’ve all seen the video of police cars burning, and we know there was looting. I’ve seen at like a Nike store downtown, but I think it’s important to put that in context,” he said. “I don’t think life from what I hear from people in Los Angeles has been paralyzed by what’s going on. This is sort of concentrated in a very limited area, and things were pretty quiet last night, for example. I think everybody who’s watching can be disgusted with violence of any kind.”
He then shifted focus to criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying the government was targeting non-violent individuals. “I don’t think we want violence of any kind on American streets. We want to feel safe, but I think there’s also disgust, just to be fair here, with the idea that people who are waitresses and busboys and housekeepers are being picked up, people with no warrants, no criminal history,” Williams said.
“This is not going after the criminals, the hardened criminals that President Trump said. And as a result, I think that, you know, the Wall Street Journal reported this morning that what you see is that the Trump administration wants to escalate.”
Williams suggested the renewed crackdown was politically motivated. “They’re going harder to get more people to deport because they hadn’t met their own expectations, their campaign promises on how many people would be deported,” he added.
However, videos appeared to contradict Williams’ claims. Footage showed rioters clashing with police, smashing windows, and setting fires across the city.
Adding to the grim developments, police discovered a dead body on a sidewalk in downtown L.A. early Tuesday morning. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the death is linked to the riots.