Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins isn’t happy with California officials for allowing the anti-ICE riots to occur in Los Angeles last week.
Thanks to the riots, one local clinic that serves veterans was forced to cancel 600 appointments, according to him.
To ensure the safety of Veterans and employees, @DeptVetAffairs had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close its LA Ambulatory Care Center. The clinic will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being…
— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) June 9, 2025
“Due to the violent mobs rioting in Los Angeles … the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was forced to close its Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center” for at least five days, he explained in letters to both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Local VA leaders made this difficult decision [to close the clinic] after criminals defaced the outer walls of the facility with profanity-laden graffiti threatening the lives of [ICE] personnel,” he added.
Anti-ICE rioters destroyed taxpayer-owned property around Los Angeles, including defacing the wall outside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Ambulatory Care Center.
Follow our page for updates on this story and more. pic.twitter.com/MVtejBhkPf
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 7, 2025
The clinic reportedly provides cancer care, suicide prevention, pain management, amputation care, and traumatic brain injury services.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” this Wednesday, Collins doubled down on his criticisms.
“They’re not peaceful,” he said of the riots in LA. “We see what they’re doing. They’re throwing stuff at us. They’re taking it out on the police.”
“What Gavin Newsom and… the mayor don’t want to talk about is the impact on the people who are just trying to live their lives. We have a large homeless population of veterans [in Los Angeles]… which we’re working on fixing… but we’ve got a lot who just need that basic care,” he added.
.@SecVetAffairs Doug Collins SLAMS California leaders over the LA riots forcing community center and benefits office closures, impacting veterans:
“Why don’t they actually talk about what the real issue is, and that’s that we can’t get services to the people that need it?” pic.twitter.com/WHLotZhN5Z
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 18, 2025
According to Collins, the local benefits office has also been shuttered because of the riots, and workers have been displaced.
“Nobody talks about that,” he said. “The governor out there and the mayor, why don’t they actually talk about the real issue, and that’s that we can’t get services to the people that need it?”
Collins went on to note that the VA has since transferred as many veteran patients as possible to telehealth services, though he stressed that this isn’t nearly as good as in-person care.
“I’m tired of this idea that we’re trying to help our veterans, help Americans, but yet we’re letting the folks in L.A. run wild and graffiti our buildings and do the things that stop us from actually taking care of our veterans,” he said.
The @DeptVetAffairs LA Ambulatory Care Center will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being rescheduled or shifted to telehealth.
— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) June 10, 2025
As of June 19, the riots in Los Angeles have died down, though they’ve since picked up elsewhere, including Portland, Oregon.
“Tense demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland were declared a riot Saturday as federal officers once again faced off with protesters,” Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported over the weekend.
Other riots in Portland have since erupted:
Portland — Federal agents and officers shut down a violent Antifa occupation at the ICE building on June 18. Antifa, meanwhile, have been trying to fundraise for gas masks and riot gear so they can better attack the officers. pic.twitter.com/LvdXU7J4sf
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 19, 2025
Portland — Antifa’s June 18 insurrection against ICE is shut down by newly deployed federal agents who broke apart the violent blockade and made arrests. Antifa are unsuccessful in “de-arresting” their comrades. Video by @FrontlinesTPUSA: pic.twitter.com/cKgMJ5MNPz
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 19, 2025
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Author: Vivek Saxena
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