Washington DC [US], June 8 : US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the National Guard in Los Angeles for their role in tackling two days of protests.
Trump further said that protesters would not be allowed to wear masks at protests.
"Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest. We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal permitting is complete!), unable to handle the task. These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED. Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called the Republican president's decision "purposefully inflammatory".
He said on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle".
He added, "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully."
According to the California governor's office, Trump federalised part of the California's National Guard under Title 10 authority, which places him, not the governor, atop the chain of command to deploy the troops.
Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to respond to escalating protests following immigration enforcement raids, CNN reported.
The move comes amid growing tensions between federal authorities and demonstrators over what critics have called "mass chaos" and "paramilitary operations" targeting immigrant communities. Residents of a predominantly Latino district repeatedly clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) federal agents.
The protests began Friday after dozens were detained in raids across Los Angeles. In response to the unrest, the Department of Defence has begun mobilising the National Guard to assist federal law enforcement. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, in a post on X, described the demonstrations as "violent mob assaults" intended to block the removal of "criminal illegal aliens."
https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1931533276985823392
"The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK," Hegseth wrote. He added that if the violence continues, active duty Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton are on high alert and may also be deployed.
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