LOS ANGELES, CA – Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins wants California officials to pay for damage to a Los Angeles care center after protestors covered it in graffiti and forced the facility to close for the week.

Local VA officials closed the Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center on Monday due to the violent and destructive protests. The outer walls of the facility were covered in graffiti, with profanity and anti-ICE messages. The closure meant more than 600 veteran appointments had to be rescheduled.

Collins wrote letters to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom explaining the problems, asking them to take steps to ensure veterans can safely get care at the facility.

“Your city’s failure to maintain law and order in Los Angeles is coming between Veterans and the health care they have earned,” Collins wrote.

Collins also questioned how Bass and Newsom would protect veterans after federal forces leave.

“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,” he wrote.

Collins asked Bass and Newsom what steps they plan to take to ensure veterans’ safety while seeking care. He also asked for an update on the investigation into vandalism at the facility and asked them to pay for the clean-up and damage to the building.