Why did Donald Trump deploy the National Guard to LA protest, but not on Jan 6? asks Nancy Pelosi

Economic Times

a day ago

AP Members of California National Guard stand guard outside the City Hall, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. The National Guard is patrolling Los Angeles as the city begins cleaning up following a night of violent protests against police brutality. The demonstration Saturday night was sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday condemned ex-President Donald Trump's decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines into Los Angeles without approval from California's governor. She said the move stands in stark contrast to his refusal to deploy troops during the 6 January Capitol riot, despite bipartisan pleas.'On January 6th, we begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it. And yet, in a contra-constitutional way, he has sent the National Guard into California. Something is very wrong with this picture,' Pelosi told reporters.The Biden administration has not commented publicly, but California officials have pushed back hard.
The troop deployment followed a series of workplace immigration raids by ICE in LA's fashion district and Home Depot parking lots. More than 100 workers were detained. Many, like Jacob Vasquez — a young father who worked in a warehouse — were picked up without explanation, according to their families. 'We don't know where he is,' said Gabriel Vasquez, his brother, in Spanish.
Protests erupted almost immediately. What began as peaceful demonstrations turned chaotic over the weekend. Fireworks were launched at police under freeways. Driverless Waymo cars were set alight. Protesters blocked major freeways. In return, police used tear gas, flash-bangs, and rubber bullets.
Pelosi accused Trump of hypocrisy. She pointed out that during the 6 January Capitol attack, when Trump supporters violently breached the legislature, lawmakers 'begged' the president to send the Guard.
'In a bipartisan way, on Jan. 6 — with violence against the Constitution, against the Congress and against the United States Capitol — we begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard,' she said. 'He would not do it.'Pelosi also criticised Trump's decision to later pardon several individuals convicted for their role in the Capitol attack. 'When law enforcement people were being harmed — some later died — he would not send [the Guard] in,' she said. 'He forgave those people.'Trump has claimed he authorised the Guard that day, but former acting defence secretary Christopher Miller testified in 2022 that no such order was ever made.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a nighttime curfew for downtown LA after several days of unrest, looting, and mass arrests. 'Families across the city are terrified,' Bass said. 'They don't know if they should go to work, they don't know if they should go to school.'
She condemned the raids and troop deployment as tactics aimed at intimidating LA's immigrant population, nearly 950,000 of whom are undocumented, according to the Migration Policy Institute. 'They were going to go after violent felons, drug dealers,' she said. 'And I don't know how that matches with the scenes that we saw of people outside Home Depot running through the parking lot, because they were afraid that they were going to get arrested.' Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump's actions a 'brazen abuse of power' and accused him of inflaming tensions. 'He has committed a brazen abuse of power and inflamed a combustible situation,' Newsom said in a national address.The California government has filed an emergency motion in federal court to restrict the role of deployed troops to guarding federal buildings only. A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday.Los Angeles County is home to an estimated 950,000 undocumented residents. Many work in low-wage jobs across restaurants, construction, garment factories, and domestic services.Saraí Ortiz described the arrest of her father, Jose, who worked at Ambiance Apparel for 18 years. 'It was really painful to see him arrested on Friday with his co-workers,' she said in Spanish.The raids have not only affected undocumented workers. Legal immigrants report being stopped and questioned. Junior Ortega, a day labourer in Santa Ana, said ICE officers approached him with guns drawn. 'They came out with guns, (saying) 'don't move,'' he said in Spanish. He showed them his green card and was released.'Why don't they go and follow the gang members?' Ortega said. 'They are coming for people who do things for the country, who pay taxes.'The raids began Friday, with federal agents searching LA's fashion district for undocumented workers. Clashes broke out almost immediately, with protesters chanting and throwing eggs before being dispersed by officers using pepper spray and rubber bullets.
Over the weekend, the unrest spread to the suburb of Paramount and other parts of the city. On Sunday, demonstrators gathered near a downtown detention centre. Though mostly peaceful, some lit fireworks and torched driverless Waymo vehicles. Armed National Guard troops joined ICE officers on Tuesday to conduct further raids, drawing further condemnation from city officials and civil rights advocates. Despite this, protests have spread to other cities. Chicago, Atlanta, and New York all saw demonstrations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott became the first to send in state National Guard troops in response to protests. Organisers say these are precursors to larger rallies planned for the weekend.Meanwhile, Trump has called the protesters 'insurrectionists' and said he will 'liberate' LA — invoking language that could justify the use of the 1807 Insurrection Act, a controversial move not used since 1965.As California sues the federal government and public anger grows, the next few days could be pivotal. A federal judge will hear the state's case this week.In the streets, the fear remains. So do the questions: who is being protected — and who is being targeted?