Trump Escalates Protests in L.A. with National Guard

Picture of current ongoing protests in L.A.

(NEW YORK, NY) – Tension and Protest in the city of Los Angeles (L.A.) have been growing since President Trump ordered thousands of National Guard troops to “protect” the supposed sanctuary city from protests that have been taking place in the city after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) have made larger and more disruptive efforts to deport and detain immigrants. Trump called and nationalized the National Guard despite not having been invited to do so by either the Mayor of L.A. or the Governor of California, in line with Trump’s actions in centralizing power not just within to Federal government, or indeed in the executive branch, but in fact usurping power so much that more and more of it lies within Trumps purview. 

Reports on the ground from L.A. have shown that 2,000 troops have been ordered by Mr. Trump to quell protests that the administration believes are “out of control”. It should be noted that Trump’s rapid deployment of the National Guard is in contrast with his previous handling of protests in his first term (Notably, the George Floyd Black Lives Matter Protests were able to develop into one of the largest protest movements this country has ever seen.) Another thing that should be noted is that the National Guard have not yet arrived in L.A. despite having been ordered to go there, and are expected to be within the city in he next 24 hours. Trump himself has stated in 2023 before he retook the presidency that he would “never let that happen again” this alongside his rapid action deploying the National Guard and rapid acceleration in attempting to quell protests suggests that Trump is more open to clear displays of repressing political action regardless of whether it’s largely peaceful or not, so long as that political action is not in his favor. 

The protests in L.A., as previously mentioned, began as a protest against the administration’s draconian immigration policies and have been most prominent in larger latinx areas. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who notably did not call for the National Guard to be brought in, has called Trump’s move to bring in Federal Troops as “purposefully inflammatory” a sentiment that is widely carried throughout democratic circles, as the protests were before largely unreported on and smaller then one a protest would assume response of this magnitude would. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles agrees with this sentiment stating in a recent interview with Fox News that the National Guard would “not be helpful”. A more skeptical author could suggest that these protests could serve as a manufactured or trumped-up crisis, as a way to push for a further centralization of power with less resistance and more support (let’s just make sure congress doesn’t burn down!)

Supporting the idea that Trump is manufacturing a crisis is the language and rhetoric that Mr. Trump has been using in regard to the protest, stating that any resistance to the National Guard will be treated as an “act of rebellion” suggesting that demonstrations (peaceful or not) would be equivalent to civil war. Assuming that there are some “act[s] of rebellion”, this may even act as an excuse for Mr. Trump’s administration to suspend habeas corpus, as he has previously suggested he could do, which would very much symbolize crossing a line in the U.S. from democracy to autocracy (or at least a mixed system.) 

Reporting from the New York Times has suggested that protests have largely died down in their second day of existence, and that local law enforcement and federal officials have done well in containing the protests. These statements and this reporting draw even more questions as to why an inflammatory deployment of the National Guard that no elected official in California asked for is necessary. 

These developments in L.A. are concerning, and for those protesting in the city, they should remember to not bring their phones to protest and wear masks to obscure their faces so that it is harder to track and identify them if the Trump administration went down that path. The Radical Times suggests that anyone protesting takes large amounts of precaution and refrains from any violent or illegal activity at these protests to protect themselves, their city, and their vital cause. The National Guard and Police are supposed to protect us from ourselves; it seems at the moment that we need protection from them. 

This is an ongoing story and there may be more and more recent updates on this site and others that we suggest you keep up with.