US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that the federal government would "step in" to handle escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area.
"If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved," he wrote on Truth Social.
As protests continued in Los Angeles for the second consecutive day against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration on Saturday announced that it would deploy the National Guard in the city.
Also Read: Los Angeles protester throws large rocks at ICE cars as officials arrest locals in Paramount - Watch
ICE has arrested 2,000 undocumented people a day this week nationwide, including 118 in LA. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday detained more than 1,000 protesters who had surrounded a federal detention centre.
The DHS also accused Democratic leaders in California, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, of contributing to the violence.
“The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on Saturday, as reported by Bloomberg.
{{/usCountry}}“The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on Saturday, as reported by Bloomberg.
{{/usCountry}}The DHS has stated that aggression towards officers by the protestors will lead to more arrests, as the agency oversees Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.
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Second day of protests
On Saturday, border patrol personnel were seen in riot gear and gas masks near an industrial park in the city of Paramount in Los Angeles County, California, as the face-off continued between demonstrators and federal agents.
Officers deployed tear gas against bystanders, while certain roads were closed, as protestors raised slogans such as “ICE out of Paramount” and held signs like “No Human Being is Illegal.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted a message on X, addressing the situation, “You will not stop us or slow us down, we will enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
What led to protests in LA?
On Friday, ICE agents arrested several people flagged as illegal immigrants in multiple locations in Los Angeles.
The move came after a judge found probable cause that an employer was using fictitious documents for some of their workers, according to the DHS and US attorney's office, as reported by Associated Press.
The agents were blocked by crowds in the city who attempted to halt the vans and later gathered around a federal detention centre, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”
The DHS stated that “1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer-funded property.”
The officers were seen using munitions and tackling protestors, while making arrests. Smoke grenades were reportedly thrown near the crowds and pepper spray was used as the federal officers attempted to clear the area.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meant to “sow terror” in the city.
California senate president Mike McGuire stated, “The ICE raids we’re seeing across LA County today are ruthless, indiscriminate and are designed to instill terror into the lives of Californians. America must put a stop to these fascist tactics.”
During a press conference, Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, said at least 45 people were arrested without warrants.
“Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now,” Salas said, as quoted by The Guardian.