Protesters protest against the US government’s deportation policy since last Friday night, after agents arrested 44 people in the city
The president of the United States, ordered on Saturday (07) the sending of 2,000 members of the National Guard to to control the protests against the operations of federal immigration agents. The second night of confrontation with the authorities continued Saturday night in the Paramount neighborhood. The community houses almost 50,000 people, mostly Latin, in the second most populous city of . Trump signed a memorandum on Saturday night “to send 2,000 members of the National Guard to deal with the illegality that was allowed,” says a statement from White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The National Guard, a military reserve force, is mobilized in emergency situations such as natural disasters, but its shipping is rare in cases of protests. In 2020, it was mobilized after the disorders caused by George Floyd’s death in a police action. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to mobilize the army, which has a base close to the protest site. In case of need, the “Marines of Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized. They are already on alert,” he announced on social networks.
On Saturday, agents of the Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) met in an area near a home depot company, often used by people who offer services such as day laborers. It was not determined if the agents were preparing for an operation or if they were on site for another reason. Protesters launched objects against agents, who responded with tear gas and moral bombs, according to local press and reports published on social networks. Authorities also closed part of a highway.
“Zero Tolerance”
“Trump administration has a zero tolerance policy with criminal behavior and violence, in particular when violence is directed against security forces that try to do their work,” Leavitt added. California governor Gavin Newsom opposed the measurements. It is “purposely inflammatory and will only increase tensions,” he wrote on social network X. “We are closely coordinated with the city and the county,” he added.
On Friday, immigration agents carried out operations in different parts of the city, which generated the first clashes, which lasted several hours. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said some residents felt “fear” after the actions of immigration authorities. “Everyone is entitled to peaceful protest, but let me clarify: violence and destruction are unacceptable,” he wrote in X.
Detention
“If California governor Gavin Newscum, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, cannot do their work, which everyone knows, then the federal government will intervene and solve the problem, disorders and looting, the way Trump wrote on its social truth platform, referring to a Pejorative name. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said several arrests have been made since the start of clashes on Friday.
On Saturday, protesters exhibited Mexican flags and shouted slogans against migratory authorities, while others burned an American flag, according to the Los Angeles Times. Operations against undocumented migrants have been part of Trump’s policies since the beginning of his government in January.
The Republican was elected for a second term largely for his promise to repress the entry and permanence of undocumented migrants in the United States, which he compared to “monsters” and “animals.” “We are making Los Angeles safer. Mayor Bass should thank us,” wrote Tom Homan, the Trump government’s border safety tsar.
*With information from AFP
