Trump to send National Guard to LA to quell immigration protests
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active duty Marines "if violence continues" in Los Angeles.
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Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump sends military force to LA over immigration protests
US President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles, a rare deployment expected Sunday against the state governor's wishes after sometimes-violent protests against immigration enforcement raids. Trump took federal control of California's state military to push soldiers into the country's second-biggest city, a decision deemed "purposefully inflammatory" by California Governor Gavin Newsom and of a kind not seen for decades according to US media. The development came after two days of confrontations during which federal agents fired flash-bang grenades and tear gas toward crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population. "It's up to us to stand up for our people," said a Los Angeles resident whose parents are immigrants, declining to give her name. "Whether we get hurt, whether they gas us, whatever they're throwing at us. They're never going to stop us. All we have left is our voice," she told AFP as emergency services lights flashed in the distance. An AFP photographer saw fires and fireworks light up the streets during clashes, while a protester holding a Mexican flag stood in front of a burnt-out car that had been sprayed with a slogan against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, blaming what she called California's "feckless" Democratic leaders. "The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs." Trump congratulated the National Guard for "a job well done" shortly before midnight on Saturday in a post on Truth Social. However, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on social media platform X the troops had not yet been deployed, while AFP journalists have so far not seen them on the ground. Trump took a swipe at Bass and Newsom, saying in his post they were "unable to handle the task," drawing a comparison with deadly fires that hit the city in January. The National Guard a reserve military is frequently used in natural disasters, such as in the aftermath of the LA fires, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local politicians. California's governor objected to the president's decision, saying it was "purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions." Federal authorities "want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully," Newsom said on X. Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to involve nearby regular military forces. "If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized they are on high alert," he wrote on social media. Law professor Jessica Levinson said Hegseth's intervention appeared symbolic because of the general legal restriction on the use of the US military as a domestic policing force in the absence of an insurrection. "The National Guard will be able to do more than provide logistical personnel support," she said. Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants who he has likened to "monsters" and "animals" since taking office in January. The Department for Homeland Security said ICE operations in Los Angeles this week had resulted in the arrest of "118 aliens, including five gang members." Saturday's standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility that the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents. Masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles on Friday, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. Fernando Delgado, a 24-year-old resident, said the raids were "injustices" and those detained were "human beings just like any." "We're Spanish, we help the community, we help by doing the labor that people don't want to do," he told AFP. Mayor Bass acknowledged that some city residents were "feeling fear" following the federal immigration enforcement actions. "Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable," she said on X. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes. "Law and order will prevail," he said on X. hg/mtp/tc/rsc/pbt IntercontinentalExchange
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Trump vs Musk: Nasa, Pentagon rattled by ISS threat- officials warn space program caught in feud
Nasa logo, left, and Elon Musk (Image credits: AP) Nasa and the Pentagon moved quickly this past week to contact alternative spaceflight providers after a public spat between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk raised new fears about the government's reliance on SpaceX . The situation escalated when Musk, responding to Trump's threat to cancel SpaceX contracts, said he would halt flights of the Dragon spacecraft, Nasa's only current vehicle for sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Though Musk later walked back the statement, it sent shockwaves through US space and defense agencies. Following the exchange, Nasa and the Pentagon contacted several commercial companies, including Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, about the readiness of their launch systems, according to The Washington Post. Officials at Sierra Space, developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, confirmed Nasa had reached out and emphasised the agency's interest in avoiding reliance on a single provider. Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner, originally intended as a backup to Dragon, remains grounded due to technical problems. Officials at Nasa and the Pentagon were alarmed by what they viewed as a sudden and impulsive move, underscoring the vulnerability of depending on a single provider. SpaceX, which holds billions in government contracts, is responsible for ferrying cargo and crew to the ISS and launching some of the military's most sensitive satellites. One Nasa official described the moment as shifting 'from entertaining to terrifying,' while a Pentagon staffer noted, 'This is a real issue, not a TV show.' The feud also appeared to be fueled by the administration's withdrawal of Jared Isaacman's nomination as Nasa administrator. Isaacman, closely linked to Musk, had previously flown with SpaceX. Nasa has long worked closely with SpaceX, despite previous concerns about Musk's behavior. But the latest episode prompted renewed debate about whether critical systems like national missile defense and astronaut transport should be entrusted to a company, or person, capable of making such sweeping decisions unilaterally.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Trump deploys 2,000 National Guard troops as Los Angeles protests against immigration crackdown continues
US President Donald Trump has announced that the federal government would deploy 2,000 National Guards troops in Los Angeles, after an immigration crackdown triggered a massive protest with police in riot gear using teargas on bystanders on Saturday as well. The White House in a statement said that President Trump was deploying National Guards to 'address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester' in California. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the move by the Trump administration deploying the troops and said that the decision by the Republican president was 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.' Newsom added that the federal government was 'moving to take over' the California national guard, adding 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.' 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' –President Donald J. Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 8, 2025 The tensions between immigration authorities and demonstrators began on Friday when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials conducted raids on multiple locations in downtown Los Angeles. The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully. — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025 On Saturday, the enforcement officials expanded the area of investigation to Paramount, south-east of Los Angeles, where they were met with more protests outside an industrial park. The protests by demonstrators on the second day were met with Border Patrol personnel in riot gear in Los Angeles' Paramount as White House announced to ratchet up the crackdown response with National Guards. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated the Trump administration's aggressive approach in a post on X to deploy the US military. 'If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,' Hegseth said. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday evening accused California's Democratic leadership of having 'completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens'. Defending the work being done by immigration officials, Leavitt added the work the immigration authorities were doing when met with protests is 'essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States.
