Two accused rioters were arrested for throwing Molotov cocktails at officers during unrest in Los Angeles over the past weekend, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on June 11.
Emiliano Galvez and Wrackkie Quiogue face federal charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, the DOJ said in a statement.
While the DOJ said that both Quiogue and Galvez are residents of Southern California, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had detained Galvez, an illegal immigrant with a criminal record, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on June 11.
The DHS statement notes that Galvez “was charged with attempted murder,” although the DOJ complaint only states that he faces charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Officials said Galvez was previously deported from the United States and has a previous criminal record. He was arrested by the Anaheim Police Department for grand theft and by the Long Beach Police Department for driving under the influence in 2024, according to DHS.
“These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect. ... If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement.
Protests, riots, and general unrest broke out in Los Angeles on June 6 in response to ICE operations targeting several businesses in the city. White House border czar Tom Homan told NewsNation that in at least one instance, ICE and other federal agents were serving criminal warrants during an investigation into a business accused of money laundering, tax evasion, and customs fraud.
Over the weekend, Trump signed a memorandum to send in the National Guard, and two days later, officials confirmed that a battalion of 700 U.S. Marines would be sent to Los Angeles to quell unrest and protect federal assets in Los Angeles.
The moves drew criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats in the state, who accused the administration of stoking fear with the military deployment and argued that ICE has indiscriminately targeted people.
On June 10, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to undo the National Guard and Marine deployments. A federal judge later that day declined California’s request for an immediate temporary restraining order on sending the troops to Los Angeles.
ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on Trump’s promise of record-level deportations, a policy on which he campaigned during the 2024 election. White House officials, including adviser Stephen Miller, have said they want to increase arrests of illegal immigrants to 3,000 per day.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on June 11 that Newsom’s administration was “unable to provide protection in a timely manner when ... Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists.”
“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,” he wrote in another post. “The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!”
Newsom said Trump’s deployment of the military has escalated tensions.
“Donald Trump deployed more than 700 active U.S. Marines—men and women trained in foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement,” Newsom wrote in a post on social media platform X. “We honor their service and bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own Armed Forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere.”
Separately, the governor said that people who incite violence or engage in riots in the city will be held accountable and that such behavior will not be permitted.
