Trump deploys more troops to Los Angeles

US President Donald Trump has deployed another 2,100 National Guard members and 700 US Marines, in what the authorities have dubbed Task Force 51 meant to “provide continuous coverage of the area” as unrest in Los Angeles continued into its fourth day.
Tensions between Washington and California officials have grown as demonstrators took to the streets to protest a series of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests mostly targeting migrant workers in Los Angeles.
The initially peaceful protests turned violent after heightened tensions, leading law enforcement to use tear gas and rubber bullets and shutting down the centre of Los Angeles as an “unlawful assembly area”.
Trump has since deployed some 2,000 US National Guard troops to maintain order against what he said were “violent people”.
Late on Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was informed further National Guard members were on their way.
Newsom calls the presence of troops on the streets of Los Angeles both “illegal and immoral.”
In a post on X, he said the activation of US Marines in Los Angeles was a “deranged fantasy,” labelling Trump as a “dictatorial president”. “This is un-American,” Newsom added.
Trump shot back, saying that the city would have been “completely obliterated” if he had not sent National Guard members.
“I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” he said in a post on his own platform, Truth Social.
“Rescind the order. Return control to California,” Newsom demanded in a post on the social media platform X.
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a re-quest from its governor.
Newsom, speaking to local media, announced that his state will sue the Trump administration to roll back the National Guard deployment.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the state intends to pursue a restraining order “to set aside the president’s unlawful action federalising the California National Guard.” He added that there was neither a migrant “invasion” nor a rebellion to warrant the takeover.
On Monday, a large crowd gathered in a park opposite Los Angeles City Hall to demonstrate against the arrest of a prominent labour leader. Their placards criticised Trump and Immigration and Cus-toms Enforcement (ICE) regarding the arrest of David Huerta on Friday.
Various union leaders from across California led the crowds in chants of calling for his release. Huerta was subsequently released on a $50,000 (€43,777) bond.
ICE officials stated that they are actively enforcing immigration laws and seeking to deport immi-grants who have criminal convictions. Additionally, they expressed their preparedness to apprehend protesters who violate the law or obstruct their operations.