Trump sends military force to Los Angeles over immigration protests
8 June 2025 14:39
Los Angeles (AFP) US President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles, a rare deployment expected on 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."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 behaviour 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.
'Purposefully inflammatory' 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.
Arrests Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants 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.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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
26 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Iran says no sanctions relief in US nuclear proposal
Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday that the latest US proposal for a nuclear deal does not include the lifting of sanctions, state media reported as negotiations appear to have hit a roadblock. The two foes have held five rounds of Omani-mediated talks since April, seeking to replace a landmark agreement between Tehran and world powers that set restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, before US President Donald Trump abandoned the accord during his first term in 2018. In a video aired on Iranian state TV, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that "the US plan does not even mention the lifting of sanctions". He called it a sign of dishonesty, accusing the Americans of seeking to impose a "unilateral" agreement that Tehran would not accept. "The delusional US president should know better and change his approach if he is really looking for a deal," Ghalibaf said. On May 31, after the fifth round of talks, Iran said it had received "elements" of a US proposal, with officials later taking issue with "ambiguities" in the draft text. The US and its Western allies have long accused the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Iran has consistently denied, insisting that its atomic programme was solely for peaceful purposes. Key issues in the negotiations have been the removal of biting economic sanctions and uranium enrichment. Tehran says it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while the Trump administration has called any Iranian enrichment a "red line". Trump, who has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign of sanction on Iran since taking office in January, has repeatedly said it will not be allowed any uranium enrichment under a potential deal. On Tuesday, Iran's top negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the country "will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium". According to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that enriches uranium up to 60 percent -- still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected the latest US proposal and said enrichment was "key" to Iran's nuclear programme. The IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet in Vienna later this month and discuss Iran's nuclear activities.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel orders military to block aid boat from reaching Gaza
Israel's defence minister on Sunday ordered the military to block an aid boat headed for Gaza with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. "I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israel Katz said in a statement from his office. "To Greta the antisemite and her companions, Hamas propaganda mouthpieces, I say clearly: turn back because you will not reach Gaza." Reporting by AFP
Al Etihad
5 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Trump sends military force to Los Angeles over immigration protests
8 June 2025 14:39 Los Angeles (AFP) US President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles, a rare deployment expected on Sunday against the state governor's wishes after sometimes-violent protests against immigration enforcement 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 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."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 behaviour 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 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 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. 'Purposefully inflammatory' 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 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 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. Arrests Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants since taking office in 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 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 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 Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes. "Law and order will prevail," he said on X.
