Riots in the streets of Los Angeles, USA, are escalating. Protests that have been going on for several days, which began in front of a detention center in downtown Los Angeles, turned into a clash between protesters and the National Guard on Sunday. Some are throwing rocks and setting cars on fire, while others are using tear gas and rubber and plastic projectiles.
This is the point that American society has been heading towards for weeks after the number of checks and detentions of people suspected of being in the country illegally increased. Immigration agents have also made several unauthorized arrests of legal U.S. citizens, which has certainly not calmed the situation.
According to Americanist Jan Hornát, the level of violence at these demonstrations reflects, on the one hand, frustration with the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents identify illegal immigrants."Peaceful protests might not have achieved that," Hornát believes.
However, according to him, the increasing level of violence lends itself to the arguments of the Trump administration:"That 'uncontrolled' migration brings chaos and violence to American society, and it was Trump who was elected by the people to restore order. For many voters, the National Guard is also adequate in this regard," continues Hornát, who is also the head of the Department of North American Studies at the Institute of International Studies at Charles University in Prague.
He has no authority to do so.
Two thousand National Guard members were unusually called out by US President and Republican Donald Trump in response to rising tensions. The Guard was originally supposed to resolve clashes with the more violent part of the crowd. However, Trump threatened a strong response to non-violent actions by protesters and promised to"have troops everywhere" in Los Angeles.
The US president is also considering escalating crackdowns on protesters - for example, he could declare martial law and thus make demonstrations more difficult or even cancel them.
The president's call-up of the National Guard is highly unusual. This power is normally held by state governors. According to The New York Times, this is the first time in 60 years that a president has taken command of the National Guard without the consent of the governor. In this case, that is Democrat Gavin Newsom.
4Trump got involved
Newsom, however, has minimal power over the National Guard at this point. “But he will certainly use the possibility of suing the administration for abuse of power and at the same time will use public statements to criticize federal interference in state affairs – that in itself is a form of power that the governor can use to undermine the president,” says Hornát. Since Newsom is starting to be talked about as a potential Democratic candidate for the next presidential election, this could also weigh in with voters in the future.
Newsom has already formally asked the government to cancel the deployment in Los Angeles County. He also said California will sue the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard, which he called an “unconstitutional act.” “Taking control of a state’s National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral,” he wrote on X.
"We had no problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious violation of state sovereignty - fueling tensions while also draining resources from places where they are truly needed," the California governor said.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, on the other hand, accused Gavin Newsom of “doing nothing when violent riots erupted in Los Angeles.” She added that federal law enforcement officers were “attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals” and that Newsom was “too weak to protect the city.” Trump, she said, “stepped in” to maintain law and order.
It will help him with voters
The president's activation of the National Guard is another escalation of protests against immigration raids, which Trump has called the largest deportation operations in history. During the campaign, he and his allies argued that the immigration policies of Democratic-led states put Americans at risk. The Trump administration has accused Democratic-led cities of providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants, and has vowed to crack down on them.
4The National Guard's strong response is therefore exactly what Trump's supporters expect."This situation is actually helping him with his own voters - intervening in a 'dysfunctional' blue state - essentially saving him - on the issue of immigration and social order, which is crucial for voters," Hornát believes.
But he could be hurt by an escalation of the demonstrations, for example if the intervention ends in too much violence. His overstepping of authority could also be problematic, as he was not asked to intervene by the governor of California."However, this argument will not have much weight with his voters, and the whole matter will rather help him," predicts the Americanist.
How did the protests even start?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided several locations on Friday, including a clothing warehouse. Crowds tried to prevent ICE agents from leaving after arresting several people. Another protest erupted outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles after demonstrators discovered detainees were allegedly being held in the building's basement.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE operations in Los Angeles this week resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants. According to The Independent, the arrests led to a rally outside the detention center, where protesters chanted: “Let them go, let them stay!”
4Dozens of protesters were arrested on Sunday night alone. Another 29 were arrested on Saturday. Police officials said more arrests were ongoing. The California Highway Patrol also arrested at least 17 protesters on the freeway, The Guardian reported.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 2,200 people on Tuesday alone, the largest number of immigrants detained in a single day on record. According to Veronica Navarrete, who was waiting outside the immigration office for a friend, asylum seekers must appear in person. But she warns that if they are not granted asylum, they face immediate deportation. “If you go in, you could be taken into custody,” she told NBC. “And if you don’t go in, you’ve missed your appointment, and that’s an automatic deportation. We have no recourse.”
