Federal sweeps by ICE spark intense demonstrations outside detention centers; National Guard, DHS, and Marines mobilized as Trump vows crackdown and California sues over legality of troop deployment.
Los Angeles [US], June 11: Protests in Los Angeles escalated dramatically Tuesday night as law enforcement agencies, including the California National Guard and Department of Homeland Security, deployed tear gas and cleared demonstrators from outside a federal detention facility following sweeping ICE raids across the city.
According to CNN, the clash unfolded as officers created a path for an armoured vehicle to enter the premises. Protesters, chanting slogans like “This is what democracy looks like!”, retaliated by throwing water bottles at officers. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) later issued a dispersal order, authorizing the use of “less lethal munitions” which, they cautioned, “may cause pain and discomfort.”
The protests were ignited after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested dozens of undocumented immigrants in a citywide sweep over the weekend, sparking outrage and drawing thousands to the streets.
Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump labeled the unrest a “full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty”, during a speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army.
“These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs,” Trump said of the protestors. He also revealed efforts to pass legislation criminalizing flag burning with a mandatory one-year prison sentence.
Trump used the occasion to condemn California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of backing “troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists.”
“Their position is that the rioting will not stop unless ICE withdraws from Los Angeles and ceases enforcement of federal immigration law,” Trump claimed. “So sad what they’ve done to our country.”
The administration is ramping up enforcement, with the Department of Defense confirming that an additional 2,000 National Guard troops have been mobilized to join the 2,000 already deployed in Los Angeles since Saturday.
“At the order of the President, the Department of Defence is mobilising an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE and enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties,” stated Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, in a post on X.
Meanwhile, California’s government is fighting back. On the same day as the troop surge, the state filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to rule the deployments unconstitutional, citing a lack of consent from the governor and violations of state sovereignty.
In another alarming development, over 700 U.S. Marines who were activated Monday to support the National Guard are now stationed outside the city, awaiting deployment orders, according to U.S. defense officials. Many of the Marines are undergoing additional urban crowd-control training before entering the city limits.
The legal, political, and human rights ramifications of the federal response are mounting, as immigrant advocates continue to raise concerns over reports of families being separated and detained under increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.
As the showdown between California and Washington intensifies, the situation in Los Angeles remains volatile, with more demonstrations planned in the coming days and a growing sense of urgency surrounding the use of military-style force in an American city.