Outrage in L.A. as Trump Bypasses State to Send Troops, Escalates Crackdown
After a weekend filled with tear gas, rubber bullets, and the first federalisation of the National Guard and deployment of Guard troops without the request of the state’s governor since 1965, state and local politicians are reacting to what they term as President Donald Trump’s overreach.
The last time a President did so was in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson federalized and sent in National Guard troops to guard schools during segregation.
In addition, Tom Homan, the director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, threatened Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass with arrest for “immigration interference.” Newsom responded by telling Homan to “Come get me, tough guy.”
Council District 11 Councilwoman Traci Park said, via emailed statement, “Raids at places where people are just trying to work or care for their families do not represent Los Angeles or our values. That’s why the LAPD does not participate in civil immigration raids like the ones we saw today across our city.
“These actions create fear at a moment when we need a commitment to decency, due process, and public trust.”
Governor Newsom also stated,” I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command.
We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California.”
Congresswoman Sydney Kamalager-Dove said, “I am closely monitoring the ICE raids that are currently happening across Los Angeles, including at a Korean American-owned store in my district. LA has long been a safe haven for immigrants. Trump claims he’s targeting criminals, but he’s really just tearing families apart and destabilizing entire communities.”
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined MSNBC’s “The Weekend: Primetime” to condemn the Trump Administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Los Angeles and President Trump’s ensuing unprecedented deployment of nearly 2,000 members of California’s National Guard to the region.
Senator Padilla slammed President Trump for manufacturing a cruel crisis to scapegoat immigrants and distract from Republicans’ harmful budget bill that will cut critical services that millions of Americans depend on to give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy. He also blasted the Trump Administration for their hypocrisy in calling the largely peaceful Los Angeles protests an “insurrection,” as President Trump and Republicans refuse to use that word to describe the January 6th Capitol insurrection.
