'Crazy, unreliable leadership': Democrats condemn Trump's national guard deployment to LA
National guard officers clashed with protesters in Los Angeles after arriving in the city on the orders of Donald Trump to quell demonstrations against his immigration crackdown. 'We know Trump doesn't like us' said California representative Maxine Waters. 'He's gonna try and make an example out of us,' she said. Asked if he planned to send US troops to Los Angeles, Trump replied, 'We're gonna have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country. We're not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.'
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STV News
34 minutes ago
- STV News
Trump sends thousands more troops to LA as unrest continues
US President Donald Trump has deployed a further 2,000 National Guard troops as well as 700 US Marines to LA, escalating a military presence local officials describe as unhelpful and 'sowing terror.' An initial 2,000 troops began arriving on Sunday, which saw the most violence out of three days, with Governor Gavin Newsom claiming only 300 troops were actually used. 'The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed – the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders,' Newsom posted on X. Despite Monday's protests being less violent, Trump has continued to describe Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel, even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department presented a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on X. Bass also criticised the deployment of National Guard troops and marines, calling it a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city.' 'I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,' Bass said. A line of California National Guard, stand in formation guarding a Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major road and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities, including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. Local officials have pushed back against the president's orders, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops. He told reporters in his announcement Monday that Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilising California National Guard troops,' Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. Trump said Monday that the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. A police officer fires a soft round near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice. In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
North Wales Chronicle
36 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump orders thousands more troops to Los Angeles despite police warnings
The moves escalates a military presence that local officials and California governor Gavin Newsom do not want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests. An initial 2,000 Guard troops ordered by Mr Trump started arriving on Sunday, which saw the most violence during three days of protests driven by anger over the Republican's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families. Monday's demonstrations were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention centre where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city. Mr Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Mr Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they do not need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Mr Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Mr Newsom said. 'It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.' U.S. Marines serve a valuable purpose for this country — defending democracy. They are not political pawns. The Secretary of Defense is illegally deploying them onto American streets so Trump can have a talking point at his parade this weekend. It's a blatant abuse of power.… — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025 The protests began on Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown on Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. In Austin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a post on X that more than a dozen protesters were arrested, while in Santa Ana, a spokesperson for the city's police department said the National Guard had arrived in the city to secure federal buildings. California attorney general Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters in his announcement that Mr Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilising California National Guard troops,' Mr Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Mr Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. US officials said the Marine troops were deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents. Mr Trump's Monday order put more National Guard members on active duty, but one US official warned that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving. T Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. Ms Bass criticised the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines as a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city'. She made a plea to the federal government: 'Stop the raids.' On Monday, thousands flooded the streets around City Hall for a union rally ahead of a hearing for arrested labour leader David Huerta, who was freed a few hours later on a 50,000 dollar bond. Mr Huerta's arrest on Friday while protesting agaisnt immigration raids has become a rallying cry for people angry over the administration's crackdown. He is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of the state's janitors, security officers and other workers. Early protests had a calm and even joyful atmosphere at times, with people dancing to live music and buoyed by Huerta's release. Protesters linked hands in front of a line of police officers outside the downtown federal detention centre where Mr Huerta was being held. Religious leaders joined the protesters, working with organisers at times to de-escalate moments of tension. There was a heavy law enforcement presence in the few square blocks including the federal detention facility, while most in the immense city of some 4 million people went about their normal business on peaceful streets. Chanting against a line of National Guard troops with Homeland Security officers behind them surrounding the federal buildings ramped up in the afternoon as people yelled, 'Free them all!' and 'National Guard go away'.
The Sun
43 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump sends 700 Marines & another 2k National Guard to riot-ravaged LA as chaos spreads with arrests in NYC & Texas
DONALD Trump is sending 700 Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to defend the city from immigration raid riots. Violent protests have continued to spread across the US over the past 24 hours with lawless demonstrators arrested in California, New York and Texas. 5 5 5 5 The City of Angels has been engulfed in anarchy over the past four days as rioters have burned cars and battled with cops. On Monday, the issues continued across LA with dozens of arrests made as police and rioters clashed once more. The scenes of violence which sparked on Sunday night were toned down on Monday despite the continued issues. Police were again struck by fireworks and forced to deploy tear gas and pepper gas on incoming demonstrators. Buses were even used to load up those detained and ship them off to police stations for the evening. A defiant Trump is still hoping for a quick end to the protests so he can enforce his immigration policy. It comes as the President also issued a searing warning to Gavin Newsom and called for the California Governor's arrest. The President has claimed LA - a sanctuary city - has now been "invaded" by illegal immigrants. He raged "If they spit, we'll hit" after reports of masked rioters spitting in the face of cops emerged. Trump said: "I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before." His latest call has seen the US Marines drafted in to help restore order. They will be tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel, according to Fox News. And another 2,000 National Guard troops will be deployed across the city after Trump already ordered 1,000 members to defend the city. The decision to bolster up LA's police force was widely criticized by California's leadership. Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass insisted the federal troops only escalated the peaceful protests into riots on Sunday night. The Governor even shot back against Trump saying: "This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego." California then officially sued the Trump administration to try and stop more federal troops being sent. Trump lashed out at Newsom in response and told reporters he agreed with border czar Tom Homan that the Governor should be arrested because he's "grossly incompetent." Newsom fired back on X, slamming Trump's threat as "an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." Homan said there are no official plans to arrest Newsom. The exchange came hours after Trump said Newsom and Bass should thank him because the city would be "completely obliterated" if he hadn't mobilized the Guard. Rioters looted shops, set self-driving Waymo cars on fire, and blocked off the 101 Freeway on Sunday night. Cops used flash-bang explosives and pepper balls to push back the protesters, even shooting a TV reporter with rubber bullets live on air at the terrifying scene. 5 By What is the US National Guard? THE US National Guard is a reserve military force made up of part-time service members who typically hold civilian jobs but can be activated for federal or state duty. Each state, territory, and the District of Columbia has its own National Guard, which can be mobilized by the state governor or the President. Can the President call the National Guard for local matters? Yes, but with limits. Normally, governors deploy their state's National Guard to handle local emergencies like natural disasters, protests, or civil unrest. The President can federalize the National Guard under specific laws, such as the Insurrection Act. This allows them to respond to domestic unrest if it's deemed beyond the capacity of local or state authorities. When federalized, National Guard troops operate under presidential command rather than the governor's. While it's unusual, a president can deploy the National Guard into a state without a governor's consent if certain legal thresholds are met. These typically involve threats to federal property, national security, or widespread breakdowns in public order. However, such actions are often politically and legally controversial. 9th Jun 2025, 07:13 By Georgie English Trump vs California Despite the carnage flooding the streets, California's government has said they have the situation under control. Governor Gavin Newsom even accused Trump of "inflaming tensions" by deploying the National Guard. The pair have a long history of heated disputes over policy. Newsom formerly requested Trump remove the guard members, which he called a "serious breach of state sovereignty". Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass added the arrival of troops is a "dangerous escalation". She said: "We do not want to play in to the [Trump] administration's hands." "What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos provoked by the administration." Trump fired back at California's government as he called them "incompetent". Newsom and Trump reportedly spoke for 40 minutes by phone on Saturday, though details of their conversation have not been disclosed. The deployment of troops marks the first time in six decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
