At noon local time on the 8th, in downtown Los Angeles, California, protesters clashed with National Guard personnel deployed in front of a federal law enforcement agency. The U.S. military reported that 300 National Guard members were ordered to enter the Los Angeles area on that day. “Is it really necessary to send in military personnel to deal with us?” some questioned.
Xinhua News Agency reporters on the scene witnessed that during the conflict, National Guard troops fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the protesters. However, the number of protesters continued to swell, increasing from dozens initially to more than 200. The protesters were highly agitated, loudly criticizing the National Guard and the police. Some hurled water bottles and stones at the National Guard, while others picked up tear gas canisters and threw them back. A reporter conducting on-site interviews was hit by a tear gas canister on the arm, and a photography reporter sustained a red and swollen wound on the left leg from being struck by a rubber bullet.
The protesters at the scene told Xinhua reporters that they were local community residents who worked hard and intended to express their opinions peacefully. But they repeatedly questioned, “Does the Trump administration really need to send military personnel to deal with us? Is this really necessary?” The deployment of 300 National Guard personnel came after federal agencies, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau, dispatched a large number of law enforcement officers to conduct search and arrest operations against illegal immigrants in multiple locations across Los Angeles County on the 6th and 7th. These operations led to serious conflicts with local community residents over the two – day period.
Escalation of Tensions: Presidential Intervention
On the 7th, U.S. President Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for their “incompetence” in handling the chaotic situation. He signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area without a request for assistance from Governor Newsom. The U.S. Department of Defense also ordered the Marine Corps stationed near Los Angeles to be on standby.
On the 8th, the U.S. Northern Command announced on social media that 300 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade of the California National Guard had been deployed to three locations in the Los Angeles area, with the mission of protecting the safety of federal agencies and personnel. The California Governor’s Office confirmed to local media on the same day that approximately 300 National Guard personnel had been deployed.
Local Leaders’ Condemnation of Federal Actions
California Governor Newsom took to social media on the 8th to criticize Trump’s move, stating that sending the National Guard to Los Angeles was not to meet local security needs but rather “hoping for more chaos.” He called on local community residents in Los Angeles to remain calm, protest peacefully, and refrain from using violence.
In an email sent on the morning of the 8th, as reported by local media, Newsom said that Trump’s order to deploy the California National Guard “was a wrong move aimed at provoking violence” to gain political benefits. “We have been working closely with law enforcement. There are no unmet demands. The president is trying to stir up emotions and trigger further responses,” he added. Newsom has been publicly opposing Trump’s decision since the 7th. American legal experts noted that this was the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president had mobilized the state national guard without a governor’s request.
Los Angeles Mayor Bass, in an interview with a local TV station early on the 8th, pointed out that there were only 120 protesters on the streets on the evening of the 7th, and the local police could have fully controlled the situation, deeming the deployment of the National Guard unnecessary. “I think this is just (Trump’s) administration grandstanding,” she said.
At noon on the 8th, Bass posted on social media, stating that after federal law enforcement officers’ illegal immigrant arrest operation triggered riots, the subsequent deployment of the National Guard “will only exacerbate the chaos.”
Law Enforcement Response and Arrests
According to information from the Los Angeles Police Department, 11 people were arrested on the evening of the 7th. They were taken into custody for remaining outside the federal agency building in the city center after the police had announced a ban on illegal gatherings.
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