Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins is criticizing California officials for what he described as a lack of attention to the toll that recent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles have taken on local veterans, especially after a key VA clinic was forced to close earlier this month.
Collins condemned the violence surrounding the protests, stating:
“They’re not peaceful. We see what they’re doing. They’re throwing stuff at us. They’re taking it out on the police.”
He accused state and city leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, of ignoring the needs of veterans displaced by the unrest.
“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, and many rely on this clinic for basic care,” Collins said.
The Los Angeles VA ambulatory clinic that closed offered services such as cancer treatment, suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury care, pain management, and support for amputees. Its abrupt closure has left more than 600 veterans without direct access to vital healthcare, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Collins added that the local VA benefits office has also been shut down, complicating access to services for veterans across the city. “Nobody talks about that… Why don’t the governor and the mayor actually address the real issue—that we can’t get services to the people who need them?”
Although many patients have been transferred to telehealth services, Collins noted the limitations of virtual care.
“There’s little substitute for traditional, in-person treatment,” he said.
“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,” Collins added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass’s offices for comment on the situation. Both offices had not responded at the time of publication.
With input from Fox News.
