Trump orders 2,000 more National Guard troops in Los Angeles
Trump authorizes an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to be deployed in Los Angeles, according to officials. On Monday, President Donald Trump sanctioned the deployment of an extra 2,000 National Guard personnel to assist in addressing the protests in Los Angeles concerning immigration raids, as reported by US officials. The directive would place them in active service. One official cautioned, however, that the order was recently signed and it may take a day or two for troop deployment to commence. Officials provided insights on troop movements while maintaining anonymity.
Governor Gavin Newsom characterized the action as reckless and “disrespectful to our troops” in a statement on the social platform X. This does not pertain to public safety. “It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” Newsom remarked. The Pentagon deployed approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles on Monday to assist National Guard members in addressing protests related to immigration raids, according to officials. This development comes as California initiated legal action against Trump regarding his utilization of Guard troops, while demonstrators continued to occupy the city’s streets for a fourth consecutive day. The deployment of Marines from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert aims to safeguard federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, as stated by US Northern Command.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell expressed confidence in the police department’s capacity to manage large-scale demonstrations. He noted that the Marines’ arrival, lacking prior coordination with the police department, posed a “significant logistical and operational challenge” for law enforcement. California Attorney General Rob Bonta disclosed the lawsuit regarding the deployment of National Guard troops, asserting to reporters that Trump had “trampled” the state’s sovereignty. “We do not take lightly the president’s abuse of authority and the unlawful mobilization of California National Guard troops,” Bonta stated. He pursued a judicial decree to affirm the illegality of Trump’s deployment of the Guard and requested a restraining order to prevent its execution.
The deployment of the National Guard came in response to two days of protests that commenced on Friday in downtown Los Angeles, triggered by federal immigration authorities apprehending over 40 individuals that same day throughout the city. The odor of smoke permeated the downtown area on Monday, following a day when large crowds obstructed a significant freeway and ignited self-driving vehicles, prompting police to deploy tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades in response. The law enforcement presence was substantial, with police vehicles from adjacent municipalities obstructing the thoroughfare in front of the federal detention facility that served as a focal point for the protests. The confrontations occurred within a limited geographic area amidst a vast urban population of approximately 4 million, the majority of whom continued their daily activities on tranquil thoroughfares.
On Monday, thousands gathered in the vicinity of City Hall for a union rally in anticipation of a hearing for detained labor leader David Huerta, who was released a few hours later on a bond of USD 50,000. Huerta’s arrest on Friday during a protest against immigration raids has emerged as a focal point for those expressing discontent with the administration’s enforcement measures. He serves as the president of the Service Employees International Union California, representing a significant number of the state’s janitors, security officers, and various other workers. Initial demonstrations on Monday exhibited a tranquil and occasionally jubilant ambiance, as participants engaged in dance to live music, energized by Huerta’s liberation.
Demonstrators formed a human chain outside the federal detention center in the downtown area where Huerta was incarcerated, occasionally breaking into song in front of a line of law enforcement officers, who made repeated attempts to persuade the crowd to vacate the roadway and relocate to the sidewalk. Religious leaders collaborated with the protesters, at times coordinating with organizers to mitigate instances of heightened tension. The intensity of the chanting escalated in the afternoon as demonstrators confronted a line of National Guard troops, flanked by Homeland Security officers, who were encircling the federal buildings, with shouts of “Free them all!” reverberating through the air. “National Guard go away.” Bonta alleged that Trump incited the protesters’ fury through his announcement regarding the deployment, asserting that he triggered the clashes with law enforcement that occurred on Sunday in downtown Los Angeles. “This was not inevitable,” he stated.
Trump stated on Monday that the city would have been “completely obliterated” had he not deployed the Guard. Subsequently, during a White House event, he remarked that state leaders “were afraid to do anything.” On Monday afternoon, additional protests began to emerge throughout LA County, fueled by confirmed reports of federal immigration agents operating in the cities of Whittier and Huntington Park, located south of Los Angeles, which ignited significant anger among activists. Additional protests were planned for various cities nationwide.
At a news conference held outside a clothing warehouse in Los Angeles, relatives of detained workers called for the release of their loved ones. The family of Jacob Vasquez, 35, who was apprehended on Friday at his workplace, expressed that they have not yet received any information regarding his status. “Jacob is a family man and the sole breadwinner of his household,” stated Gabriel, Vasquez’s brother, to the audience. He requested that his surname remain undisclosed, concerned about potential targeting by authorities.
On Sunday, as evening descended, a significant number of protesters began to disperse following the police’s declaration of an unlawful assembly, which served as a precursor to law enforcement’s intervention and the subsequent arrests of individuals who declined to vacate the area. A subset of individuals who remained at the scene engaged in throwing various objects, including rocks and electric scooters, at law enforcement personnel and their vehicles. McDonnell stated that police officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters, which included habitual agitators who attend demonstrations to incite disruption. McDonnell noted that the protests exhibited a familiar trajectory characteristic of civil unrest, typically intensifying during the second and third days. Numerous individuals were apprehended over the course of the weekend. One individual was apprehended on Sunday for launching a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement, while another was taken into custody for colliding a motorcycle with a group of officers.
Newsom urged Trump to rescind the Guard deployment in a letter Sunday, describing it as a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” The governor, currently in Los Angeles engaging with law enforcement and officials, cautioned protesters that their actions were aligning with Trump’s agenda and warned of potential arrest for any violence or property destruction. “Trump seeks disorder and has provoked aggression,” he stated. Remain tranquil. Maintain your concentration. Do not provide him with the justification he seeks.
The activation of a state’s National Guard without a request from its governor marks a notable departure from precedent, representing a significant escalation against individuals and groups aiming to obstruct the administration’s mass deportation initiatives. Newsom has consistently asserted that California authorities have the situation well managed. The most recent instance of the National Guard being activated without the consent of a governor occurred in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed troops to safeguard a civil rights march in Alabama, as reported by the Brennan Center for Justice. In a directive issued on Saturday, Trump referenced a legal provision that permits the deployment of federal service members in situations characterized by “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
