Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) hit the streets alongside anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles, taunting and harassing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents before she attempted to enter the Los Angeles Federal building to check on a union boss who had been arrested.
Waters was captured on video shouting at the National Guard troops — ordered in by President Donald Trump after two days of protesters rioting and attacking ICE agents as they attempted to enforce federal immigrations laws.
“Why do you have guns? What are you going to do, you going to shoot some kid who’s afraid of you and runs?” she asked. “You going to shoot an elected official? If you shoot me, you better shoot straight. I don’t know why you’re in my city. The governor was not contacted. This is Trump, and his outrageous attempt to not only target our sanctuary city but to frighten us and intimidate us. This is wrong, and I hope that none of you will use those guns to shoot anybody. There’s no reason to shoot anybody.”
INSANE Dem Rep. Maxine Waters is now verbally harassing our National Guard Members?!
DO DEMS HATE THE TROOPS?! @SpeakerJohnson DO SOMETHING!! pic.twitter.com/kpBvn2apxX
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) June 8, 2025
Waters later attempted to enter the federal building to “check on” Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President David Huerta, who was injured and detained during violent confrontations between protesters and ICE agents.
Asserting her “congressional authority,” Waters pressed for access to the building — but she was ultimately turned away by a guard at the door who told her simply, “The lobby is secured to all visitors.”
BREAKING: Rep. Maxine Waters tried to enter the Los Angeles Federal Building to check on arrested SEIU President David Huerta. Despite her “congressional authority,” she was denied entry.
Note how Waters walked past all the graffiti during this stunt — quite the backdrop. pic.twitter.com/BwAM5pJljF
— Stu (@thestustustudio) June 8, 2025
The California Congresswoman presented a slightly modified version of the day’s events when she posted an update via X, claiming that she had “pled with the National Guard, which was heavily armed, not to use their weapons against peaceful demonstrators who were simply exercising their rights to freedom of speech and protest. All people deserve to be treated with dignity and due process under the law. Peaceful, nonviolent demonstrations are critical to protecting our constitutional rights!”
Today, I came to the Metropolitan Detention Center to exercise my constitutional rights as a Member of Congress to check on the safety and conditions of SEIU California President David Huerta, who was arrested by ICE. I pled with the National Guard, which was heavily armed, not… pic.twitter.com/a7sb86yg7F
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) June 8, 2025
