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A member
of the
California
National
Guard
stands
outside
the
Edward
R.
Roybal
federal
building,
after
California
National
Guard
troops
were
deployed
by
President
Donald
Trump,
in
response
to
protests
against
immigration
sweeps,
in Los
Angeles,
California,
June 8.
REUTERS/Mike
Blake |
| |
Violence
Escalates
in Los
Angeles
Immigration
Protests
as
National
Guard
Deployed
Police
declare
downtown
LA an
unlawful
assembly
after
third
day of
unrest
over
Trump's
immigration
crackdown
LOS
ANGELES
— Police
ordered
all
protesters
to leave
downtown
Los
Angeles
Sunday
night
after
declaring
the
entire
area an
unlawful
assembly,
capping
three
days of
increasingly
violent
demonstrations
against
President
Donald
Trump's
immigration
enforcement
policies.
National
Guard
troops,
deployed
by Trump
over the
weekend
despite
strong
objections
from
California
officials,
stood
guard at
federal
buildings
throughout
the city
as
tensions
between
demonstrators
and law
enforcement
reached
a
boiling
point.
Protests
Turn
Violent
The
unrest
has
emerged
as a
major
test of
Trump's
signature
immigration
agenda,
which
includes
pledges
to
deport
record
numbers
of
undocumented
immigrants
and seal
the
U.S.-Mexico
border.
The
administration
has set
a daily
goal for
Immigration
and
Customs
Enforcement
(ICE) to
arrest
at least
3,000
migrants.
Sunday
evening
saw some
of the
most
destructive
scenes
yet,
with
several
Waymo
self-driving
vehicles
set
ablaze
on
downtown
streets.
Protesters
hurled
concrete
projectiles,
bottles
and
other
debris
at
police,
prompting
authorities
to
expand
unlawful
assembly
declarations
from
individual
rallies
to the
entire
downtown
core.
Mounted
police
officers
worked
to
disperse
crowds
as
demonstrators
chanted
"Shame
on you!"
and
blocked
the 101
Freeway,
a
critical
downtown
artery.
Video
footage
captured
protesters
throwing
objects
at law
enforcement.
"People
have a
right to
protest
peacefully,
but the
violence
we've
seen by
some is
disgusting,"
Los
Angeles
Police
Chief
Jim
McDonnell
said at
a Sunday
evening
briefing.
"These
protests
are
getting
out of
control."
Police
reported
10
arrests
Sunday,
adding
to 29
from the
previous
night,
with
more
expected.
Political
Battle
Over
Federal
Response
The
crisis
has
intensified
a bitter
political
dispute
between
the
Trump
administration
and
California's
Democratic
leadership
over
federal
authority
and
state
sovereignty.
Governor
Gavin
Newsom
called
Trump's
deployment
of 2,000
National
Guard
troops
to Los
Angeles
County
unlawful
and
formally
requested
their
withdrawal.
In an
MSNBC
interview,
Newsom
announced
plans to
sue the
administration,
accusing
Trump of
manufacturing
the
crisis.
"Trump
has
created
the
conditions
around
these
protests,"
Newsom
said,
charging
the
president
with
violating
California's
state
sovereignty.
The
White
House
pushed
back,
stating:
"Everyone
saw the
chaos,
violence
and
lawlessness."
Escalating
Federal
Response
Trump
took to
social
media to
pressure
local
law
enforcement,
calling
protesters
"violent,
insurrectionist
mobs"
and
urging
Chief
McDonnell
to
deploy
the
National
Guard
immediately.
"He
should,
right
now!!!"
Trump
posted.
"Don't
let
these
thugs
get away
with
this.
Make
America
great
again!!!"
The
president
directed
his
cabinet
to "take
all such
action
necessary"
to stop
what he
termed
riots,
though
he
stopped
short of
invoking
the
Insurrection
Act—an
1807 law
allowing
presidents
to
deploy
military
forces
against
civil
disorder.
When
asked
Sunday
if he
was
considering
that
step,
Trump
replied:
"It
depends
on
whether
or not
there's
an
insurrection."
Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth
said
Saturday
the
Pentagon
is
prepared
to
mobilize
active-duty
troops
"if
violence
continues,"
with
Marines
at
nearby
Camp
Pendleton
on high
alert.
Local
Officials
Caught
in
Middle
Los
Angeles
Mayor
Karen
Bass
found
herself
navigating
between
condemning
violence
and
criticizing
federal
intervention.
"I
don't
want
people
to fall
into the
chaos
that I
believe
is being
created
by the
administration
completely
unnecessarily,"
Bass
said at
a press
conference,
while
also
condemning
violent
protesters.
Chief
McDonnell
initially
suggested
police
wouldn't
immediately
request
National
Guard
assistance
but
acknowledged
the need
for
reassessment
given
Sunday's
violence.
The
U.S.
Northern
Command
confirmed
300
California
National
Guard
members
have
been
deployed
to three
locations
in the
Los
Angeles
area,
with
Homeland
Security
Secretary
Kristi
Noem
saying
they
would
provide
security
around
federal
buildings
while
protecting
peaceful
protesters
and law
enforcement.
Immigration
Advocates
Sound
Alarm
Immigration
advocacy
groups
accused
the
administration
of
deliberately
escalating
tensions
to
justify
expanded
federal
powers.
"This is
about
trumping
up an
excuse
to abuse
power
and
deliberately
stoke
and
force
confrontations
around
immigration,"
said
Vanessa
Cardenas,
director
of
America's
Voice.
The
Los
Angeles
protests
represent
the most
significant
domestic
unrest
of
Trump's
presidency
as he
pushes
forward
with his
promised
immigration
crackdown,
raising
questions
about
federal-state
relations
and the
limits
of
presidential
authority
in
domestic
law
enforcement.
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