VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins called out California officials for ignoring the impact the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots have had on displaced veterans after an ambulatory clinic was forced to suddenly shutter its doors earlier this month.
"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 said of the protesters on "Fox & Friends," Wednesday.
"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."
EXCLUSIVE: VA DEPT SAYS LA RIOTS FORCED COMMUNITY CENTER CLOSURES IMPACTING MORE THAN 600 VETERANS
Collins said the local benefits office is also closed, meaning veterans are struggling to receive the help they need in multiple ways.
He also said workers have been displaced as a result of the chaos.
"Nobody talks about that… 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?"
The now-closed Los Angeles VA clinic provided cancer care, suicide prevention, pain management, amputation care and traumatic brain injury services.
Collins said the VA has transferred as many patients as possible to telehealth services to continue their care, but says there's little substitute for traditional treatment.
"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.
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for a prior report on this issue.
Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.