California governor accuses Trump of pulling 'military dragnet' across L.A.

CBC

a day ago

U.S. President Donald Trump is "pulling a military dragnet" across Los Angeles by deploying and then expanding the role of the National Guard and marines in the nation's second-largest city, according to California's governor.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday the use of federal troops in L.A. goes well beyond Trump's "stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals.
"His agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day labourers and seamstresses. That's just weakness — weakness masquerading as strength," Newsom said during a brief public address.
The governor's remarks come after Trump sent nearly 5,000 troops into L.A. to — officially, at first — protect federal buildings amid protests over immigration raids.
But those troops are now protecting agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as they carry out arrests. Photos posted on social media Tuesday by ICE show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests.
ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers "who are out on daily enforcement operations." The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of the administration's immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.
WATCH | L.A. mayor calls for an end to immigration raids:
ICE raids must stop, Los Angeles mayor says
7 hours ago
Duration 3:48
At a news conference Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Bass called for an end to federal immigration raids in the city and slammed the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard and marines following several days of protests over the stepped-up enforcement. 'The real solution of all of this is for the administration to stop the raids,' Bass said of the unrest roiling the city.
Newsom, a Democrat, said the Republican president's decision to deploy the Guard without his support should be a warning to other states.
"California may be first — but it clearly won't end here," he said.
Newsom earlier Tuesday asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and marines to assist with immigration raids, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest.
The federal government says Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A judge set a hearing for Thursday.
Local officials including Mayor Karen Bass have also objected to the military presence, which Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell says makes it harder to handle the protests safely.
Marine Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday that the marines had not yet been called to respond to the protests and were there only to protect federal officials and property.
The marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority, Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill. Marines had not yet been seen on the streets, while National Guard troops so far have had limited engagement with protesters.
The mayor and the governor have said Trump is putting public safety at risk.
More than a dozen protesters who spoke to CBC News on Tuesday said they were bewildered by the military presence during the demonstrations, saying the protests were largely peaceful and any escalations were being controlled by the LAPD.
Mayor issues curfew
The mayor issued a curfew for a portion of the city's downtown on Tuesday in an effort to stop vandalism and looting as protests over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws continued.
WATCH | California sues federal government:
California to sue Trump over National Guard deployment to L.A. protests
1 day ago
Duration 3:39
California is suing the U.S. president, accusing him of unlawful federal overreach by deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles protests over ICE immigration raids. The Pentagon also deployed about 700 U.S. Marines Monday to reinforce the federal response.
She said in a news conference that she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 p.m. local time Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
"We reached a tipping point" after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said.
The curfew will be in place for a one square mile section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles.
The curfew doesn't apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to the police chief, who said "unlawful and dangerous behaviour" had been escalating since Saturday.
"The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city," he said.
Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president.
"If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see," he said from the Oval Office.
Later the president called protesters "animals" and "a foreign enemy" in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. army.
Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that the mayor and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth.
The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of four million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside city hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention centre where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids.
On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police issued a dispersal order and corralled the protesters, telling members of the media to stay out to avoid getting hurt. Officers with zip ties then started making arrests.
The police chief said officers made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 people who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway.