After the arrest of 44 people in crackdowns conducted in Los Angeles by ICE authorities, protests sparked in the region, leading to the deployment of the US National Guard. This move came after police used tear gas on anti-ICE protesters in a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the US.
Deployment of the US National Guard has drawn sharp reaction from California Governor, Gavin Newsom, who called the potential deployment of US Marines in his state “deranged”. Newsom took to X to say, “The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior.”
It was Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s hardline defense secretary, who floated the idea of deploying the US National Guard onto the streets of Los Angeles, which is a Democrat-run state. “Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It’s COMMON SENSE,” Hegseth wrote on X around the issue, triggering further shockwaves in the US political landscape.
It all started with a stand-off between border patrol personnel in tactical gear and gas masks and the incoming wave of protesters. As soon as things began escalating, police began deploying tear gas, and protesters also threw objects at them to retaliate. Even one car was reportedly set alight, according to The Guardian. This triggered Trump’s call to send in the national guard, a move that has drawn concerns among critics that the United States is slowly moving towards authoritarianism and dictatorship.
“The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles – not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don’t give them one.” Newsom was also quoted as saying about the incident. Meanwhile, Trump praised the US National Guard for curbing the protests on Truth Social, saying, “Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest.”