Dismissing the Democrats’ unfounded and misguided concerns, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boldly defended President Donald Trump’s authority to deploy troops anywhere in America.
Specifically, the secretary’s remarks come as the president acts to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from violent leftist mobs.
During a heated House committee hearing, Hegseth stood firm against Democrat accusations.
Liberals slammed the administration for supposedly overstepping its bounds by sending National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles after local Democratic leaders failed to maintain order.
Hegseth did not mince words when explaining why President Trump authorized the deployment of 4,800 National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles.
The move came after ICE agents faced violent resistance while attempting to deport illegal criminals, with local Democratic leadership doing nothing to stop the chaos.
During the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee hearing, Hegseth declared:
“They’re being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals that should happen in any city, Minneapolis or Los Angeles. And if they’re attacked, that’s lawless and President Trump believes in law and order, so he has every authority.
“The governor of California is unable to execute the laws of the United States. The governor of California has failed to protect his people, along with the mayor of Los Angeles and so President Trump has said he will protect our agents and our Guard and Marines are proud to do it.”
When challenged by Democrats about the legal authority for such deployments, Hegseth was crystal clear: ICE agents have the right to safely conduct operations in any jurisdiction in America.
He cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code as providing the legal basis for military forces to protect federal buildings and personnel when local authorities fail to maintain order.
Democrat Rep. Betty McCollum criticized the deployment as “premature” and “escalatory,” while Rep. Pete Aguilar questioned the legal basis and expressed mock concern about troop preparedness.
They seemed more worried about illegal aliens facing deportation than the safety of federal law enforcement officers.
Estimated at $134 million, the cost of the deployment became another talking point for Democrats seeking to undermine the operation.
In response, Hegseth confirmed the funding would come from regular operational accounts.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have openly opposed the federal immigration enforcement actions.
Their refusal to uphold federal law prompted President Trump to step in to ensure ICE agents could safely do their jobs.
When Democrats tried claiming the administration was neglecting troop welfare by showing cherry-picked images of soldiers temporarily sleeping on floors, Hegseth forcefully pushed back.
He said, “That’s a disingenuous attack that misrepresents how much we care about our troops…Nobody cares more about the troops at the top than this secretary and the chairman in our department.”
The hearing was actually intended to focus on reviewing President Trump’s upcoming $961.6 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2026.
However, Democrats were more interested in questioning the president’s authority to enforce immigration law than discussing how to counter China or improve missile defense.
President Trump has repeatedly referred to the LA protesters as “violent, insurrectionist mobs” on his Truth Social platform.
The Trump administration has made it clear that law and order will prevail regardless of which blue state or city tries to obstruct federal law enforcement.
I can see why President Trump picked Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.
He's brilliant and strong! pic.twitter.com/xdtIDkRRfR
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) June 11, 2025
