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Police order LA protesters in downtown to go home

Police order LA protesters in downtown to go home

Observer2 days ago

LOS ANGELES: Police declared all of downtown Los Angeles to be an unlawful assembly area and ordered protesters to go home on Sunday night after a third day of violence hit demonstrations against President Donald Trump's immigration policy. National Guard troops — deployed by Trump at the weekend to help quell the protests in a move that California Governor Gavin Newsom called unlawful — guarded federal government buildings on Sunday. The unrest in Los Angeles has become a major flashpoint in Trump's signature effort to clamp down on
illegal immigration.
The Republican president has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the border enforcement agency ICE a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants. California state and local officials, mainly Democrats, accuse Trump of inflaming initially small-scale protests by mounting a federal response. He calls the protesters insurrectionists.
Several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. Los Angeles police said some protesters had thrown concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police. Police declared several rallies to be unlawful assemblies and later extended that to include the whole downtown area. Police on horseback tried to control the crowds.
Demonstrators shouted "Shame on you!" at police and some appeared to throw objects, video images showed. One group blocked the 101 Freeway, a major downtown thoroughfare. City Police Chief Jim McDonnell told a media briefing on Sunday evening that people had a right to protest peacefully but the violence he had seen by some was "disgusting" and the protests were getting out of control. Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night, adding arrests were continuing.
California Governor Newsom, a Democrat, said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful. Newsom said in an interview with MSNBC he planned to sue the administration over the deployment, adding that Trump "has created the conditions" around the protests. He accused the president of trying to manufacture a crisis and of violating California's state sovereignty. Asked if the National Guard was needed, the police chief, McDonnell, said police would not "go to that right away," but added, "Looking at the violence tonight, I think we've got to make a reassessment".
In a social media post, Trump called on McDonnell to do so. "He should, right now!!!" Trump added. "Don't let these thugs get away with this. Make America great again!!!" The White House disputed Newsom's characterisation, saying in a statement, "Everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness." Earlier on Sunday, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed.
The US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS programme "Face the Nation" that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the demonstrators "violent, insurrectionist mobs" and said he was directing his cabinet officers "to take all such action necessary" to stop what he called riots. Despite Trump's language, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, "It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard. She also condemned protesters who became violent. "I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily," she told a press conference. — Reuters

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Police make arrests in downtown LA during nighttime curfew
Police make arrests in downtown LA during nighttime curfew

Observer

time6 hours ago

  • Observer

Police make arrests in downtown LA during nighttime curfew

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Police announce ‘mass arrests' amid LA curfew
Police announce ‘mass arrests' amid LA curfew

Muscat Daily

time12 hours ago

  • Muscat Daily

Police announce ‘mass arrests' amid LA curfew

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Trump calls LA protests a 'foreign invasion' as over 100 arrested
Trump calls LA protests a 'foreign invasion' as over 100 arrested

Observer

time18 hours ago

  • Observer

Trump calls LA protests a 'foreign invasion' as over 100 arrested

More than 100 people have been arrested in Los Angeles since Monday evening during protests against US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, the local police department said on Tuesday. Some 96 people were taken into custody on Monday evening in the citycentre of the Californian metropolis for failing to disperse from a prohibited gathering, the police said. According to reports, 14 others were arrested for looting, and three were taken into custody for resisting arrest, assault with a deadly weapon, or property damage. Two police officers were taken to hospital for medical treatment, but have since been released, the reports said. People have been protesting in Los Angeles for days against attempts by security forces to carry out immigration raids. US President Donald Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city, claiming the situation is out of control. LA mayor declares curfew for downtown area In response to the protests, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew in downtown Los Angeles from 8 pm on Tuesday (0300 GMTWednesday) until 6 am on Wednesday. "I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting," Bass told reporters at an evening news conference, noting significant damage to businesses and properties. "Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted," she added. Trump says LA is being invaded by a 'foreign enemy' Trump on Tuesday described the unrest in Los Angeles as an invasion by a "foreign enemy" during a speech at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Addressing the ongoing protests in the city, he said demonstrators were "rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country." "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty," Trump said. "We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy." He went on to describe the protesters as "animals" who "proudly carry the flags of other countries," but do not carry the US flag. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he is considering whether to invoke a200-year-old law to deploy additional military forces in Los Angeles. Responding to journalists at the White House, Trump said he wouldconsider invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allowspresidents to send troops to restore public order in certainemergency situations. "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it," he stated. The protests appeared to cool off on Monday night, although LosAngeles police reported that "as demonstrators were being disbursed,agitators and miscreants within the crowd looted businesses andvandalized 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.

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