U.S. President Donald Trump has brought in the National Guard to disperse protesters as protesters continue to speak against immigration raids by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Los Angeles.
The latest protests began on Friday after it emerged Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were carrying out raids across parts of the Westlake district as well as in Paramount, south of LA, where the population is more than 82% Hispanic.
Trump Immigration Clampdown
Trump was clear about plans to clamp down on immigrants during his campaign. As expected, Immigration raids have increased under President Donald Trump’s administration, which last month asked federal agents to arrest 3,000 people a day.
ICE revealed 44 unauthorised immigrants were arrested in a single operation at a job site on Friday, while another 77 were also taken in in the greater LA area on the same day.
Following the raids, the Federal Building in downtown LA became the focus of protests after it emerged that detainees were allegedly being held there. Graffiti was sprayed on the building, and objects were thrown at police, CBS reports, leading to an unlawful assembly declaration.
In the aftermath of the protests, around 60 people were arrested and three officers were injured in San Francisco on Sunday, according to the San Francisco police.
Trump Calls in The National Guard
Protests continued into Saturday, prompting Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area. Trump used a law that says National Guard deployment can be federalised if the US “is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation”; “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” against the government; or “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States” to summon the National Guard stating that the protests constitute a rebellion against the federal government.
The summoning of the National Guard has, however, drawn criticism from many, but President Trump does not look to be backing down.
