President Donald Trump used a speech in honor of the soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision to send troops to Los Angeles in a confrontation about his immigration policy.
“Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant beaches just to see our country destroyed by invasions and the illegality of the Third World,” Trump told Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“What you are witnessing in California is a total attack on peace, public order and national sovereignty, carried out by disorders carrying foreign flags,” Trump added.
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Trump’s visit to Fort Bragg, which houses about 50,000 active soldiers, occurred after its decision to send 700 Naval Marines and 4,000 National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in a response to street protests against their immigration policies.
The Republican President argues that military detachment is necessary to protect property and federal personnel. The Democratic Government of California states that the measure is an abuse of power and an unnecessary provocation.
“These members of the service are not only defending California honest citizens, they are also defending our own republic,” Trump said. “They are heroes.”
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Street demonstrations in southern California have been underway since Friday, when activists have clashed with sheriff delegates.
In North Carolina, Trump and the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, participated in celebrations that were already expected to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army, with the demonstration of a special forces attack on a building and a long -range missile launcher.
This was the first in a series of army birthday celebrations involving Trump before a big parade in Washington on Saturday.
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Earlier this Tuesday, at the Oval Hall, Trump warned of demonstrations in this parade, telling reporters that “they will be received very hard.” The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department said there are no relevant threats to the event.
Army Week celebrations combine Trump’s propensity for patriotic pomp and its political position as a president who imposes the law and order. Saturday’s celebrations in Washington include thousands of troops, tens of military aircraft and coincide with Trump’s 79th anniversary.
The army was created on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.
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Earlier this year, Trump restored the name Fort Bragg to the base, one of the largest in the world, despite a federal law that forbids honoring generals who fought the south during the civil war. His government states that the name now honors a different Bragg – First Class Soldier Roland Bragg, which served during World War II. In 2023, the base had been renamed Fort Liberty, a change motivated by protests against racial justice.
Since the beginning of his second term, in January, Trump made the Armed Forces the focus of his efforts, with his defense secretary working to purge transgender members of the service, high -ranking officers appointed by his democratic predecessor and even books considered out of tune.
The President’s government government reforms largely spared the annual budget of nearly $ 1 trillion of the Defense Department. He promised to avoid international conflicts while launching new weapon programs and increasing the use of the Armed Forces internally, including immigration inspection.
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Trump has promised to deport a record number of people in the country illegally and block the border between the US and Mexico, establishing for the ICE border inspection agency the daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 immigrants.
Los Angeles protesters gathered, among other places, in a government installation where immigrants are detained.
