Trump seizes on Los Angeles protests in contentious use of military amid migrant crackdown
(CNN) This is the showdown the White House has been waiting for. Unrest sparked by federal immigration raids in Los Angeles provided a questionable catalyst for President Donald Trump to stage a demonstration of military force.
His deployment of National Guard troops, against the wishes of California’s governor and LA’s mayor — both Democrats — appears at this point to be mostly for show, intended to create the perception of the administration getting tough.
But the reservists’ presence at a fraught, politicized moment could worsen tensions and even become a trip wire that prompts more aggressive administration action. Northern Command said Sunday evening that 500 US Marines were now on “prepared to deploy” status ahead of what would be a stunning and constitutionally dubious escalation if they were to show up in Los Angeles.
Weekend protests saw law enforcement officers in riot gear use tear gas and flash bangs to disperse crowds in downtown Los Angeles and the nearby city of Paramount. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said demonstrators threw objects and were violent toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/09/politics/trump-national-guard-los-angeles-hegseth