Flashpoint LA: Trump Sends National Guard Amidst Clashes
Law Enforcement Reinforcements Dispatched in Los Angeles under Trump's Orders - Military personnel deployed by Trump arrive in Los Angeles
Rumbling through LA's streets, cloaked in military camo and armed to the teeth, the National Guard soldiers made their presence known outside a federal building complex. A bold, spray-painted message, "Our City", adorned the once-pristine walls, home to a detention center as well.
Bracing for more clashes, demonstrators have lined up their march towards Sunday evening (23:00 UTC), incited by a call for a "mass mobilization" at city hall.
With a furrowed brow, Trump mobilized 2000 National Guard troops to the city’s heart, reminding constituents that the government in D.C. was on high-alert, confronting a lawlessness that's inundated the streets, according to Trump's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
But Democratic California Governor, Gavin Newsom, questioned Trump's intentions. Stating that the troops were not dispatched to "respond to immediate needs," but “to create a manufactured crisis”, Newsom warned on X-news against falling prey to chaos. Calling on the city’s people to prevail, he encouraged them to "Stay calm. Violence is not the answer. Keep the peace."
Tempers flared and swords were crossed on Friday and Saturday, as confrontations between protesters and federal police agents erupted. Clad in masks and armed with automatic weaponry, those in uniform clashed with demonstrators hurling objects in retaliation. Federal agents lashed back, firing stun grenades and volleying tear gas, apprehending a few troublemakers along the way.
As the sun rose on Sunday, tensions flared again in the Compton neighborhood, with security forces and protesters facing off, leaving AFP reporters breathing the lingering aroma of pepper spray in the air.
Shunning local authorities, Trump took a bold step by commanding the National Guard. Typically the force is reserved for natural disasters and sporadically riots. Like in 2020, following the death of African American George Floyd, at the hands of police.
Vocal opponent, US activist Kenneth Roth, former chief of Human Rights Watch, declared on X-news that Trump’s actions represented the first such move since 1965, deploying the National Guard without request from the state’s governor. Roth alleged that Trump was exploiting the situation to escalate his attacks on immigrants.
Sources: 1. ACLU - ACLU’s stance on California National Guard deployment2. Human Rights Watch - HRW’s coverage of the Los Angeles immigration raid and the National Guard’s deployment3. ABC News - ABC News' take on the National Guard’s involvement in LA’s immigration enforcement4. Los Angeles Times - The Los Angeles Times reporting on Trump and Newsom's confrontation over the National Guard deployment5. The Guardian - The Guardian’s report on Los Angeles and the National Guard's active role in immigration enforcement
- In a controversial move, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 2000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, amidst increasing tensions over immigration, making this the first such move since 1965 without a request from the state's governor, as alleged by US activist Kenneth Roth.
- As the political landscape of Los Angeles continues to be dominated by clashes between protesters and federal agents, War-and-conflicts and Crime-and-justice sections of general news outlets are intensifying their coverage, with political implications extending beyond California's borders.
