Trump mulling invoking 1807 Insurrection Act for deployment in LA
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he is considering whether to invoke a 200-year-old law to deploy additional military forces in Los Angeles.
Responding to journalists at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he would considering invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows presidents to send troops to restore public order in certain emergency situations.
'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it,' he stated.
The president has already sent up thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the Californian city after days of unrest, which emerged in response to attempts by security forces to carry out immigration raids.
The protests appeared to cool off on Monday night, although Los Angeles police reported that 'as demonstrators were being disbursed, agitators and miscreants within the crowd looted businesses and vandalized property.' Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, have accused Trump of inflaming the situation by sending troops.
The costs of financing the existing deployment for 60 days have been estimated at $134 million by the Department of Defense.
Without providing evidence, Trump also blamed 'paid insurrectionists' for the violence in Los Angeles.
'These are paid insurrectionists. These are paid troublemakers. They get money,' he said. Trump further argued that the city 'would be burning right now' if not for the troops he sent, comparing the situation to the fires that caused unprecedented damage earlier this year. (DPA)
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