President Trump is sending U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against immigration raids. Some of the demonstrations have turned violent and the president says state authorities aren’t doing enough. He also expressed support for the idea of arresting Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Trump is sending 700 Marines for a specific purpose as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement turn into riots. He’s also doubling the number of National Guard troops already on the ground to about 4,000.
The role of the Marines is to protect federal buildings, but L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell is not happy about it. “The introduction of federal military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents,” he said.
L.A.’s police chief says most of the protests in the city have been peaceful, even though demonstrators have set fire to cars, blocked highways, and several police officers have been injured in clashes.
One ABC anchor in L.A. said law enforcement shouldn’t interfere with a “bunch of people having fun watching cars burn.”
“It could turn very volatile if you move law enforcement in there in the wrong way and turn what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burning into a massive confrontation and altercation between officers and demonstrators,” ABC7 Los Angeles anchor Jory Rand said.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass claims the federal government’s response is contributing to the chaos.
“It makes me feel like our city is actually a test case. A test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government,” Bass said.
Now, demonstrations against ICE are spreading to other major cities nationwide, including Atlanta, Chicago, and New York.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump’s deployment of the National Guard over his objections violates state sovereignty.
The president and Newsom are now in a war of words after Trump expressed support for arresting him. When asked by a reporter what crime Governor Newsom committed, Trump said, “I think his primary crime is running for governor cause he’s done such a bad job.”
Newsom challenged Trump on a podcast, saying, “I told the President, ‘just get over it, arrest me, move on.'”
The conflict appears to have boosted Trump’s approval rating on immigration.
CNN’s Harry Enten said, “Yeah, if we just take a look at the baseline numbers here, this is Trump’s approval rating on immigration, it’s gone up like a rocket!”
California has sued the Trump administration to block the deployment of National Guard Troops and Marines, an issue that will likely end up at the Supreme Court.
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