Trump's response to the LA protests
Was President Trump right to deploy the National Guard and Marines to LA? Viewpoints from multiple sides.
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Snippets
The suspect in a series of targeted shootings that killed Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, and wounded Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, was taken into custody after a two-day manhunt.
Israel launched widespread airstrikes across Iran amid growing tension between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear program, hitting key nuclear facilities and killing several military commanders, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Iran retaliated by launching 200+ missiles at Israel during an escalating exchange of strikes and cancelled planned nuclear talks with the US that were set to take place in Oman on Sunday. (See our previous coverage of the Iran nuclear talks.)
The House of Representatives passed a $9.4B rescissions package that includes cuts to federal funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr appointed 8 new members to an independent panel that advises the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines after dismissing its 17 sitting members earlier in the week.
At least 270 people were killed after an Air India passenger jet bound for London crashed into a medical college shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India.
What’s happening
Last weekend, President Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles in response to protests against ICE immigration arrests that took place in the city on Friday and Saturday. Trump specifically invoked Title 10, Section 12406 of the US Code (10 USC 12406) to federalize the National Guard in order to “temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) vocally opposed Trump’s decision. It marks the first time that a president has deployed the National Guard – a reserve of civilian soldiers typically directed by state governors – against the opposition of a state’s governor since 1965.
10 USC 12406: The statute that Trump invoked states that the President may call the National Guard into action “Whenever the United States, or any of the Commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States; or the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
What’s unfolded since: On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Newsom sued President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an attempt to prevent the federalization of the California National Guard. That same day, Trump ordered the deployment of another 2,000 guardsmen as well as 700 Marines as protests persisted primarily in downtown LA. On Tuesday, Bonta and Newsom requested a federal judge to place an immediate restraining order halting the use of National Guardsmen and Marines in the city, but the request was rejected.
Protests have continued in LA over the past week, with some accounts of violent engagement between protestors and law enforcement as well as reports of destruction of property and businesses being looted. Protests continued this weekend in coordination with the broader “No Kings” demonstrations taking place across the country.
Debate continues over whether Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to LA is a legal and effective countermeasure to the protests. This week, we bring you viewpoints from multiple sides. Let us know what you think.
Notable viewpoints
More opposed to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines:
The deployment of the National Guard and Marines has made it more difficult to restore peace.
The protests were mostly under control before Trump’s deployment announcement last Saturday night – the LAPD had issued a statement that the protests were peaceful earlier that day. The situation got considerably worse once the National Guard was on the ground in LA, and Trump’s suggestion that Marines were needed to subdue the protests further provoked protestors.
Neither local nor state authorities requested federal assistance in managing the protests, and bringing in the National Guard was an unnecessary escalation. Having troops in LA only raises the risk of violence because troops – in line with their practice of duty – will wind up using force against protestors if violence or the threat of violence – real or imagined – is present.
As stated by LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell himself, having the federal military present in LA could make it significantly more difficult for LA law enforcement to effectively do their job in safeguarding the city.
Trump deployed troops more to further his political ambitions than to restore order.
Trump is not trying to restore public safety, and has sought out this confrontation with LA – a liberal city with an immigrant-heavy population. Any genuine response to restore order would have included coordination between the federal and California state governments, but instead Trump federalized the National Guard despite Newsom’s opposition. Trump forcing the National Guard into LA is in line with his previously-stated desire to use military assets to support mass deportation programs, and Trump wants to insert federal forces into liberal jurisdictions to influence their politics.
Trump is trying to create a crisis in LA for his own political gain – prior to the LA protests, the Trump administration had expressed its desire to use the National Guard to assist in ICE activities. Trump, in a step towards authoritarianism, has manufactured chaos to create justification for taking control of the military. (Summarized from Rob Bonta, California Attorney General, and Gavin Newsom, California Governor, in their lawsuit against President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth.)
Trump does not have the legal authority to deploy the National Guard to LA.
The protests likely don’t fulfill the legal criteria laid out in 10 USC 12406, the statute that Trump invoked when deploying the National Guard – protests against ICE do not constitute a “rebellion” against the government, and there is no reason to believe LA law enforcement couldn’t contain the protests on their own. Trump is also violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military within US borders for law enforcement purposes without the consent of Congress or the Constitution.
More supportive of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines:
The deployment of the National Guard and Marines was necessary to protect federal agents and property from dangerous rioters.
In LA, cars have been set on fire, fireworks have been shot at police officers, and hundreds of arrests have been made – these are riots, not peaceful protests. LAPD Chief McDonnell said himself that his police force was “overwhelmed” by the rioters. A show of force from the National Guard was required to keep the peace and end the riots.
LA law enforcement has a history of being tolerant of violent protests and the destruction of property by rioters and looters. The use of National Guardsmen and Marines was necessary to protect federal buildings in the city.
ICE agents have been facing dramatically increased rates of assault, and ICE agents’ family members have also been doxed and targeted. Democratic politicians such as LA Mayor Karen Bass have contributed to the rise in assaults of ICE officers through their continued demonization of ICE, and the LAPD was not doing enough to protect ICE agents. (Summarized from a Department of Homeland Security Statement.)
Trump had a legal right to deploy the National Guard and Marines and a political mandate to support ICE deportation arrests.
It was legal for Trump to federalize the California Guard. 10 USC 12406 – particularly the section that states that the President can call upon the National Guard when “the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States” gives him broad legal authority. Moreover, Trump is not violating the Posse Comitatus Act, as Trump only ordered the National Guard to protect federal personnel and property, not assist ICE in specific law enforcement activities.
In deporting undocumented immigrants through these ICE arrests, Trump is enforcing US law and aligning himself with US voters who have gravitated towards a more restrictive stance on immigration. For example, a 2024 Gallup Poll found that 55% of US adults want less immigration, the highest figure since 2001, and 47% of adults want to deport all undocumented immigrants, a 10 point increase from 2019 levels.
Trump wants to minimize damage to the city of LA.
During nationwide protests in 2020, Trump did not mobilize the National Guard against the wishes of Democrat governors to suppress protests, and it led to widespread violence and destruction across US cities. Trump does not want to repeat that history now in LA. By acting decisively and mobilizing the National Guard, Trump has prevented attendance in the protests from growing to a point where it poses a serious risk of destruction.
Be heard
We want to hear from you! Comment below with your perspective on Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines to LA and we may feature it in our socials or future editions. Below are topic ideas to consider.
Do you think Trump was right to deploy the National Guard and Marines? Why or why not?
What are some arguments or supporting points you appreciate about a viewpoint you disagree with?
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Music on the bottom
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