Seven House Democrats voted against a Republican-led resolution on Friday that condemned the recent riots in Los Angeles. The measure, introduced by Rep. Young Kim of California, still passed the House with a vote of 215 to 195. Two California Democrats—Reps. Jim Costa and Adam Gray—broke ranks and supported it.
The rest of the California Democratic delegation opposed the resolution. The violence erupted on June 6 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids in downtown Los Angeles. Protests quickly turned into chaos, with anti-ICE demonstrators looting stores, attacking law enforcement, and torching self-driving cars.
The damage is expected to cost the city more than $30 million. Republican lawmakers strongly denounced the violence and praised law enforcement. But Democrats remained divided—some refused to call it a “riot” at all.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries downplayed the term. When asked about the events, he said he preferred to call it “unrest.” His remarks came during a back-and-forth with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
On the House floor, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland called the resolution “totally partisan.” It both condemned violence and applauded ICE for protecting the public. That part especially drew heat from progressives who have long opposed the agency’s mission.
Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida slammed ICE, calling its work “terrorism in our communities.” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also continued pushing for the agency’s abolition, repeating her calls in multiple fundraising emails over the past two months.
Republicans fired back. They said the resolution simply backed law enforcement—federal, state, and local—against political violence. “We will not tolerate violence against any law enforcement officials,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement earlier this week.