Rashida Tlaib Rejects Trump Sending Federal Law Enforcement to Quell Violence: ‘They’ll Have to Arrest Me First’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Monday reacted angrily to President Trump warning that he may deploy “more federal law enforcement” to cities where protesters are wreaking havoc, proclaiming that they will “have to arrest” her first “if they think they’re going to illegally lay their hands” on her residents.

“They’ll have to arrest me first if they think they’re going to illegally lay their hands on my residents,” Tlaib said in reaction to the president’s remarks:

Trump on Monday doubled down on last week’s promise to take action on cities run by “liberal, left-wing Democrats” — cities that have seen an escalation of violence and unrest in recent weeks.

“They’re like war zones. And if the city isn’t to straighten out, if local politicians — or, in this case — I don’t say this for political reasons — they’re all Democrats. They’re liberal, left-wing Democrats,” he said last week.

Trump reiterated that call on Monday following a meeting with congressional Republican leaders.

“Look at what’s going on. All run by Democrats. All run by very liberal Democrats. All run really by [the] radical left. We can’t let this happen in the cities,” he said, naming New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Baltimore, specifically.

As Breitbart News reported:

Trump spoke in response to reports that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to deploy about 150 agents to the city of Chicago.

He speculated that police officers were restricted from doing their jobs by Democrat leaders who were actually “afraid” of the anarchists in their cites.

“Yes, they are weak, but they are afraid of these people,” he said.

Trump said he would not stand by and watch the wave of crime hit America’s cities.

“I’m going to do something, that I can tell you,” he said.

Trump also praised the response in Portland, as federal officers have moved to quell violence in the city.

“They grab ’em. A lot of people in jail, their leaders, these are anarchists. These are not protesters … these are people who hate our country, and we’re not going to let it go forward,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks follow last week’s reports of federal law enforcement officers detaining protesters in unmarked police vehicles.