US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 700 US Marines and 2,000 additional National Guard troops to Los Angeles, vowing that those protesting against the detention of immigrants will be "hit harder" than ever before.
The deployment of thousands of troops and hundreds of Marines on Tuesday comes on the fourth day of massive protests in the streets of Los Angeles, sparked by the arrest of dozens of immigrants in a city with a large foreign-born and Latino population.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized Trump's decision, calling it reckless and "disrespectful to our troops."
“This is not about public safety,” Newsom wrote in X. “It’s about feeding a president’s dangerous ego.”
The deployment followed protests on Sunday, when demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles, burning cars and looting stores. Law enforcement was forced to use tear gas and rubber bullets against the protesters.
Meanwhile, Monday's protests were largely peaceful, following weekend unrest that followed the arrest of dozens of people whom authorities described as illegal immigrants and gang members.
In the city of Santa Ana, about 50 kilometers southwest of Los Angeles, law enforcement used tear gas against protesters chanting against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on Monday evening.
Speaking from Washington, Trump called the protesters "professional instigators and insurgents."
Trump wrote on social media that protesters had spat on bodies, and if they continue to do so, "I promise you they will be hit harder than ever before."
Despite isolated acts of violence, officials and local law enforcement stressed that the majority of protesters over the weekend had been peaceful.
Schools across Los Angeles were operating normally on Monday, while life in the city appeared largely unchanged.
In contrast to Trump's description, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: "This is not large-scale civil unrest. It is limited to a few streets."
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said local authorities are able to control the city.
"The introduction of federal military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and the risk of confusion during critical incidents," he told reporters.
At least 56 people were arrested over the past two days and five officers suffered minor injuries, Los Angeles Police officials said, while about 60 people were arrested at protests in San Francisco.
Protesters also clashed with police in New York City and Austin, Texas, on Monday.
This is the first time in decades that the state National Guard has been activated without the governor's request.
The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
In an executive order on Saturday, Trump cited a legal provision that allows him to deploy federal forces when there is "a rebellion or threat of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." (A2 Televizion)
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