Image CreditDepartment of Veterans Affairs
The forced closure of a Los Angeles-based Veterans Affairs clinic due to the city’s anti-ICE riots has led to more than 600 appointments “having to be rescheduled,” according to the agency.
The revelation was disclosed in a pair of Thursday letters sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass by VA Secretary Doug Collins. The Trump appointee previously announced Monday that the VA’s L.A. Ambulatory Care Center “temporarily closed” its doors in response to the actions of left-wing “violent mobs” in the area.
In his correspondence to Newsom and Bass, Collins noted that the facility “was forced to close … from Monday, June 9, 2025, through at least Friday, June 13, 2025.” The decision by “local VA leaders” to temporarily shutter the clinic has “so far impacted more than 600 Veteran appointments, which are having to be rescheduled,” according to the secretary.
“In other words, your state’s failure to maintain law and order in Los Angeles is coming between Veterans and the health care they have earned,” Collins wrote in his letter to Newsom.
A series of photos obtained by The Federalist reveal what appears to be profane graffiti art drawn on the outside of the L.A.-based VA clinic. Among the phrases spray painted on the facility’s outside walls are “F-ck ICE,” “F-ck Trump,” and “Burn their settlements.”
Photo by Department of Veterans Affairs
Photo by Department of Veterans Affairs
The VA secretary went on to blast the two Democrat politicians for what he described as their “primary concern” of “virtue signaling [their] opposition to President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to restore law and order throughout the city.” “[R]ather,” he said, they should be focused on “protecting the hardworking Angelenos who are being victimized by violent rioters and other criminals.”
“We are thankful President Trump has the courage to bring order and safety back to the citizens of Los Angeles — something California leaders have failed to do,” Collins wrote. “Your state and city’s lackadaisical response to the riots raises serious questions regarding the safety and security of VA-enrolled Veterans in Los Angeles once the National Guard and other Federal authorities leave the city.”
[READ: How The L.A. Riots Demonstrate Democrat-Media Complex’s Loss Of Narrative Control]
The secretary concluded his letters with a series of questions for Newsom and Bass about what actions they’re taking to ensure veterans’ access to the L.A. clinic and other California-based VA facilities isn’t hindered due to leftists’ anti-ICE demonstrations.
Doug Collins Letter to Karen Bass by The Federalist on Scribd
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
