LOS ANGELES: California will face off with Washington in court on Thursday (Jun 12) over President Donald Trump’s deployment of US troops in Los Angeles after demonstrators again took to the streets in major cities to protest Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Some 700 US Marines will be on the streets of Los Angeles by Thursday or Friday, the military said, to support up to 4,000 National Guard troops in protecting federal property and federal agents, including on immigration raids.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal forces would continue the crackdown in an effort to “liberate” Los Angeles, and pledged the effort would only intensify. “We have more assets now today than we did yesterday,” Noem said at a press conference. “This is only going to continue and be increased until we have peace on the streets of Los Angeles.”
Trump’s decision to dispatch troops to Los Angeles over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked a national debate about the use of the military on US soil and further polarised the country.
Street protests have broken out in multiple cities besides Los Angeles including New York, Chicago, Washington and San Antonio, Texas.
California is seeking a federal restraining order to block the troops’ role in law enforcement. The state argues the federal government has already violated the law by having National Guard troops assist immigration agents.
A federal judge in San Francisco will hear arguments Thursday as part of California’s lawsuit against Trump. The state is requesting a temporary restraining order to block the troops’ participation in law enforcement activities.
California ultimately wants a court ruling that returns its National Guard to the state’s control and declares that Trump’s action was illegal.
The LA protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump, in turn, called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday.
“If I didn’t act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now,” said Trump at an event at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian.
Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice.
Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks.
In downtown LA, shortly before the second night of a curfew over a 2.5 sq km area on Wednesday night, police said demonstrators at one location threw commercial-grade fireworks and rocks at officers.
Another group of nearly 1,000 demonstrators was peacefully marching through downtown when police suddenly opened fire with less lethal munitions in front of City Hall.
Marlene Lopez, 39, a Los Angeles native, was demonstrating as flash bangs exploded just a few meters away.
“I am out here because of the fact that our human rights are being violated every day. If we give up, it’s over. We have to stand our ground here in LA so that the nation will follow us,” Lopez said.
