Trump deploys troops amid LA immigration protests

According to The New Arab and agencies on June 10th, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of active-duty US Marines and an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on June 9th, declaring that protesters rallying against immigration arrests would be “hit harder” than ever before.

The decision marked an extraordinary escalation, involving 700 full-time professional military personnel and thousands of National Guard troops, as demonstrations entered their fourth consecutive day. The protests were sparked by a wave of immigration arrests in a city deeply rooted in foreign-born and Latino communities.

California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the federal action, writing on X: “US Marines shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfil the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American.”

The deployment followed a volatile weekend in downtown Los Angeles, where demonstrators set vehicles ablaze and looted businesses. Law enforcement responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. By contrast, 9th June’s protests unfolded with less violence, though they remained tense following dozens of arrests of individuals authorities identified as undocumented migrants and suspected gang members.

Outside a federal detention centre, National Guard troops were met with angry chants of “Pigs go home!” Protesters also pounded on unmarked vehicles moving through police lines. Reactions among residents were divided. One small business owner, whose storefront had been vandalised, supported the federal crackdown. “I think it’s needed to stop the vandalism,” she told AFP, declining to be named.

Others voiced alarm. “They’re meant to be protecting us, but instead, they’re like, being sent to attack us,” said Kelly Diemer, 47. “This is not a democracy anymore.”

In Santa Ana, a city about 32 miles southwest of Los Angeles, authorities used tear gas and flash-bang grenades against protesters rallying against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency as night fell.

Speaking from Washington, Trump characterised the demonstrators as “professional agitators and insurrectionists.” On social media, he alleged that troops had been spat on and warned: “I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before.”

Despite some dramatic episodes of violence, local officials emphasised that the majority of protests over the weekend were peaceful. Schools in Los Angeles operated as normal, and much of the city’s daily life continued undisturbed.

Mayor Karen Bass pushed back against Trump’s depiction of the unrest, stating, “This is isolated to a few streets. This is not citywide civil unrest.”

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell expressed concern over the deployment of federal forces without coordination. “The introduction of federal, military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents,” he told reporters.

Authorities said at least 56 people were arrested over the weekend in Los Angeles, and five officers sustained minor injuries. In San Francisco, around 60 arrests were reported during related protests.

Demonstrations also erupted in other cities. In New York City, police arrested several individuals after around 100 protesters gathered near a federal immigration court, according to an AFP correspondent. In Austin, Texas, police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, NBC affiliate KXAN reported.

The use of Marines in a domestic context was described as “incredibly rare” by Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel. “What does ‘protect’ mean to a heavily armed Marine??? Who has not/not trained with local law enforcement, hence creating a command and control nightmare?” she wrote in an email to AFP.

The last time the National Guard was deployed against the wishes of a state governor was in 1965 during the height of the civil rights movement. US law typically forbids military involvement in domestic law enforcement without a declaration of insurrection.

VanLandingham warned of the danger in such measures, pointing out that Marines are trained for combat, not crowd control.

Late on 9th June, the Pentagon confirmed that Trump had authorised an additional 2,000 guardsmen, on top of those already deployed over the weekend. By that evening, roughly 1,700 guardsmen were positioned throughout Los Angeles, according to the US Northern Command.

The New Arab/ Agencies/ Maghrebi.org