• UN warns against ‘further militarisation’ of unrest
• Defence secretary says Pentagon is prepared to mobilise active-duty troops if violence continues
• China tells citizens living in the region to boost personal security
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles was on edge Monday after violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces over immigration raids, with the Californian governor vowing to sue President Donald Trump for deploying National Guard soldiers and the United Nations warning “against further militarisation of unrest”.
Police stood watch after ordering people not to gather in the city’s downtown where cars were torched over the weekend, and security forces fired tear gas at protesters.
“This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted,” Governor Gavin Newsom said on social media. “He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard.” “We’re suing him.”
The White House also ratcheted up the standoff between the hard-charging Republican president and California’s Democrat-led authorities.
“Gavin Newsom did nothing as violent riots erupted in Los Angeles for days,” Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on Monday. “President Trump has stepped in to maintain law and order.” She added, “America must reverse the invasion unleashed by (former president) Joe Biden of millions of unvetted illegal aliens into our country.”
The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.
Critics say Trump, who has made clamping down on illegal migration a key pillar of his second term, deliberately stoked tensions by sending in California’s National Guard, a stand-by military usually controlled by the state governor.
“You have the National Guard with loaded magazines and large guns standing around trying to intimidate Americans,” protester Thomas Henning told AFP on the scene.
On Monday morning, a heavy police presence patrolled mostly deserted streets. A few protesters remained overnight, with some lobbing projectiles and fireworks, according to TV coverage.
Trump called the protesters “insurrectionists”, and demanded authorities arrest people in face masks.
“BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
At least three self-driving Waymo cars were torched Sunday, and local law enforcement deployed tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse protesters. An Australian reporter was hit in the leg with a rubber bullet fired by a police officer on live television. Her employer later said she was unharmed.
LA police officers set up containment lines to keep demonstrators separated from armed National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in helmets and camouflage gear. At least 56 people were arrested over two days and three officers suffered minor injuries, they said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful.
Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California’s state sovereignty. “These are the acts of a dictator, not a President,” he wrote in a post on X.
The White House disputed Newsom’s characterisation, saying in a statement that “everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness”.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon is prepared to mobilise active-duty troops “if violence continues” in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton are “on high alert”. US Northern Command said about 500 Marines were prepared to deploy if ordered.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the National Guard, but also condemned protesters who became violent.
Meanwhile, China’s consulate told its citizens in the area to strengthen personal security measures, stay away from gatherings, crowded areas, or places with poor public security, and avoid going out at night or travelling alone. They should also “closely monitor official announcements” and “raise their safety awareness”, it added.
On the other hand, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said, “We do not want to see any further militarization of this situation, and we encourage the parties at the local, state and federal levels to work to do that.”
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2025
