Latest news with #LosAngelesMetroPolice
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
LA shaken as immigration clampdown turns violent
Members of the Los Angeles Metro Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, June 8. PHOTO: REUTERS US President Donald Trump on Monday accused protesters in Los Angeles of insurrection and threatened they would be "hit harder" than ever if they disrespect security forces during clashes triggered by anger over immigration raids. Demonstrators in a small part of the second biggest US city's downtown area torched cars and looted stores in ugly scenes Sunday that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. Trump posted he had deployed National Guard troops "to deal with the violent, instigated riots" and "if we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated". "The people are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists," he told reporters in Washington. On social media, he said protesters spat at troops and if they continued to do so, "I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!" Meanwhile, the US military is set to temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles while additional National Guard troops arrive in the city, a US official told Reuters on Monday. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a battalion would be sent, but for now, the Insurrection Act is not expected to be invoked. The official added that the situation was fluid and could change. California Governor Gavin Newsom accused the president of deliberately stoking tensions by using the National Guard, a reserve military force usually controlled by state governors. "This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires," Newsom said, adding California would be suing the federal government over the deployment. Trump shot back, saying "I would do it" when asked if Newsom should be arrested. The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. Trump's border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was targeting members of cartels in Mexico and Colombia. Many locals painted a different picture. They are "people who are here earnestly trying to improve their lives (and) deserve a chance and don't deserve to be treated as criminals," Deborah McCurdy, 64, told AFP at a rally where hundreds gathered on Monday. On Monday morning, a heavy police presence stood watch in Downtown LA, where streets were quiet. Overnight, vandals had set fires and smashed windows, adding to the scenes of damage left after five Waymo self-driving cars were torched. Obscene graffiti was daubed over many surfaces. Despite isolated and eye-catching acts of violence, officials and local law enforcement stressed the majority of protesters over the weekend had been peaceful. Schools across Los Angeles were operating normally on Monday, while the rhythms of life in the sprawling city appeared largely unchanged. Mayor Karen Bass told CNN that in contrast to Trump's rhetoric, "this is isolated to a few streets. This is not citywide civil unrest." Immigration arrests were designed to stir tensions, she said, while the troop deployment was "a recipe for pandemonium." The United Nations warned against "further militarization" of the situation, in remarks likely to anger the White House. After initial confrontations between demonstrators and federal forces on Sunday, local law enforcement took the lead, using what they called "less lethal weapons" to disperse crowds. Viral footage showed one rubber bullet being fired at an Australian TV reporter, who was hit in the leg on live television. At least 56 people were arrested over two days and five officers suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles Police Department officials said, while about 60 people were arrested in protests i San Francisco. The National Guard is frequently used in natural disasters, and occasionally in civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local authorities. Trump's deployment of the forcethe first over the head of a state governor since 1965 at the height of the civil rights movementwas criticized by Democrats, including Kamala Harris. The former vice president and Trump's opponent in the 2024 election called it "a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned the violence, while calling on the United States to respect migrant rights. Sheinbaum urged Mexicans living in the United States "to act peacefully and not give in to provocations."
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
White House defends crackdown on protesters in LA as Trump calls for California governor's arrest
Members of the Los Angeles Metro Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, June 8. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article California officials blamed President Donald Trump on Monday for inflaming an already tense situation in Los Angeles by sending in National Guard troops, while the White House argued the sometimes violent demonstrations justified ramping up deportation efforts even further. Trump even suggested California Governor Gavin Newsom be arrested. As the city faced a fourth day of protests over Trump's immigration policies, Democrats and Republicans clashed over what has become the biggest flashpoint in the Republican administration's aggressive efforts to deport migrants who are in the country illegally. Earlier in the day, Newsom, viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, vowed to sue the federal government over its deployment of the Guard, calling it unlawful. "This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard," Newsom posted on X on Monday. "We're suing him." Federal law allows the president to deploy the Guard if the nation is invaded, if there is 'rebellion or danger of rebellion,' or the president is 'unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.' Returning to the White House after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor. "I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great," Trump replied. "Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing." The streets were calm early on Monday after protests erupted on Friday when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted several locations in the city for sweeps as part of the administration's efforts to arrest migrants. The demonstrations continued over the weekend, resulting in a large police response. The White House contended the protests were a further reason for Republicans in Congress to pass Trump's 'one big beautiful bill' that would increase border security and military spending. The bill, now in the US Senate after clearing the US House of Representatives, would also slash taxes, cut Medicaid benefits and do away with green-energy initiatives. 'We need the One Big, Beautiful Bill to pass ASAP!' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. Fiscal conservatives in the Senate, along with former Trump adviser Elon Musk, have balked at the bill's cost, saying it will inflate the nation's budget deficit. Clash raises newsom's profile Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants. For Democrats, lacking leadership since Trump won the presidential election last November, the Los Angeles protests have served as a rallying point, allowing them to find some political footing while standing up to the administration's policies. The episode has provided Newsom, serving his second term as governor, with a national platform that has allowed him to portray himself as Trump's chief antagonist. But it has also underscored the risks of appearing too sympathetic to protesters, some of whom have set cars on fire and thrown bottles at police. During his first term, Trump castigated Democrats for civil unrest during riots protesting the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in 2020. In one demonstration of that delicate balancing act, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the Guard, while also condemning protesters. "I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily," Bass told a press conference on Sunday. Trump accused Newsom and Bass of playing down the violence. "We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California," he posted on social media on Monday. "If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated." On guard US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. The Department of Homeland Security said the Guard's mission was to protect federal buildings. Police declared all of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday to be an unlawful assembly area and ordered protesters to go home after a third day of violence hit immigration protests. During those protests, officers on horseback tried to control the crowds. Some used flash-bang grenades and tear gas, CNN reported. Demonstrators shouted "Shame on you!" at police and some appeared to throw objects, video images showed. One group blocked the 101 Freeway, a downtown thoroughfare. Several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. 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." Asked if the National Guard was needed, 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." Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night.
