Photo: Getty Images North America
Protests broke out over the weekend in Los Angeles over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard.
On Friday (June 6), protestors began to clash with federal immigration authorities during ICE raids in the Los Angeles area, resulting in at least 44 arrests, per Newsweek. Protestors have been accused of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers, along with setting vehicles and other items on fire in the streets. Law enforcement officials have responded to protests with tear gas and rubber bullets.
One video of the LA protests shows a demonstrator being stomped by police on horseback. In the video, the demonstrator was lying on the ground in the road as one horse appeared to kick him, and another walked over him. When the man attempted to stand up, video shows he was grabbed by a police officer and thrown to the ground.
Trump announced Saturday (June 7) that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following alleged violence against authorities. The move marks the first time a president has called in the National Guard without a state’s request or consent in decades.
On Sunday (June 8), former Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement, defending the protests and criticizing federal intervention.
"Los Angeles is my home. And like so many Americans, I am appalled at what we are witnessing on the streets of our city. Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos. In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division."
"This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear," she continued. "Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process. Protest is a powerful tool — essential in the fight for justice. And as the LAPD, Mayor, and Governor have noted, demonstrations in defense of our immigrant neighbors have been overwhelmingly peaceful. I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he plans to sue the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard, adding that the president "flamed the fires" of ongoing protests.
"This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard. The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We’re suing him," Newsom wrote Monday (June 9).
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