US forces fire tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Los Angeles
US forces fire tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Los Angeles
M.U.H
09/06/202517
US security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday after President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to suppress protests against immigration raids.
Demonstrators torched cars and clashed with police as authorities kept them away from National Guard units.
The unrest, now in its third day, erupted after immigration officials arrested dozens of individuals described as illegal migrants and gang members. The raids, conducted in broad daylight in a city with a significant Latino population, sparked outrage in liberal-leaning Los Angeles.
Critics accused Trump of escalating tensions by deploying California’s National Guard, typically under the control of Governor Gavin Newsom. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved,” Newsom posted on X. “This is a serious breach of state sovereignty—inflaming tensions while diverting resources. Rescind the order. Return control to California.”
Trump’s decision to activate the National Guard without state approval is rare. The last comparable instance was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed troops to protect civil rights marchers from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Newsom called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and formally requested Trump withdraw the “unlawful deployment.”
On Sunday afternoon, protesters set fire to at least three self-driving Waymo vehicles and vandalized two others in downtown Los Angeles. Traffic on a major freeway was halted for over an hour as demonstrators flooded the roadway. California Highway Patrol officers used flash-bangs and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd.
While federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security briefly clashed with protesters at a detention center, most confrontations involved local law enforcement. By early afternoon, LAPD officers established containment lines, preventing demonstrators from reaching National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who were deployed in helmets and camouflage gear.
Trump defended the deployment, hinting at expanding it nationwide. “You have violent people, and we won’t let them get away with it,” he told reporters. “You’re going to see strong law and order.” When asked about invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows military use as domestic police, Trump said, “We’re looking at troops everywhere. We won’t let this happen to our country.”
FBI issues warning to protesters
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino warned protesters engaging in violence, vowing to pursue perpetrators long after the unrest subsides. “We’re investigating all leads for assaults on federal officers, in addition to numerous arrests already made,” Bongino posted on X.
“We don’t need to catch every perpetrator—just you. The Director and I have instructed our teams to use all investigative and technological tools to track you down, even after order is restored. We will not forget.”
