"LA is a garbage heap occupied by criminal organizations... I will liberate it"
Indicates possibility of deploying additional federal troops
'Anti-Trump' Governor Newsom
Files emergency injunction against 'illegal military deployment'
Rejected by federal court
President Donald Trump is delivering a speech at Fort Bragg, where the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary event was held on the 10th (local time). Photo by EPA
On the 10th (local time), President Donald Trump took a hostile stance toward protesters opposing the crackdown on illegal immigration in Los Angeles (LA), labeling them as "foreign enemies" and "animals." He once again emphasized his determination to "liberate" LA, which he described as a "garbage heap" occupied by international criminal organizations. He also suggested a "hardline response" against the protesters, mentioning that in addition to the 4,700 troops currently deployed in LA, federal forces could also be mobilized.
At the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary event held at Fort Bragg that day, President Trump stated, "We will not allow American cities to be invaded and conquered by foreign enemies." He added, "What we are witnessing in California is a full-scale attack on peace, public order, and national sovereignty," and described the protesters carrying foreign flags as "mobs" conducting a foreign invasion.
He described the LA protesters as "professional demonstrators" wearing bulletproof vests and facial protection, not amateurs, saying that they threw broken pavement stones at police and set vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails. President Trump stressed, "These are violent protesters equipped with professional gear," and added, "They are animals. Burning the American flag is an act that must be punished." However, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Trump, saying that some problematic protesters were "playing into Donald Trump's hands" and accused Trump of "deliberately creating a crisis."
President Trump also referred to LA as a "garbage heap," claiming that "entire areas of the city are under the control of criminals." He said, "The federal government will use every means at its disposal to quell violence and restore law and order." Currently, 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines are deployed in LA, and President Trump has left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, saying, "Let's see how the situation develops." If the Insurrection Act is invoked, active-duty federal troops can be deployed. Although this law was enacted in 1807, it has rarely been used in practice.
Toward the California state government and LA Mayor Karen Bass, he claimed they were "incompetent and hired agitators," accusing them of attempting to undermine federal law. This is interpreted as expressing his dissatisfaction with California's previous refusal to cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement, having declared itself a "sanctuary state." He also continued with political statements, including claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election and criticism of former President Biden.
This protest began on the 6th near the federal building in downtown LA, as a demonstration against the aggressive crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump administration. Tensions erupted after ICE classified and arrested 44 people as illegal immigrants across LA that day. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed in a statement that the number of protesters reached 1,000 on the 6th, but Reuters reported that this figure was unverified. On the 7th, tear gas and flash grenades were used, and some protesters were arrested. From the 8th, military forces began to be deployed in earnest, and there were moves to consider nighttime curfews in some areas.
In response to this incident, Governor Newsom, who has emerged as a focal point for the anti-Trump movement, filed an additional emergency injunction with the federal court, arguing that President Trump's deployment of the National Guard was illegal. Although a similar lawsuit had been filed the previous day, the rapid deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops prompted swift legal action. However, Charles Breyer, a federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, did not grant Governor Newsom's emergency injunction and instead scheduled a hearing to listen to both sides, according to CNN and NBC.
Meanwhile, President Trump warned that if protesters appear at the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary military parade to be held in Washington, D.C., on June 14, which is both his 79th birthday and Flag Day, there would be a "strong armed response." According to the Washington Post (WP), the parade will feature 28 Abrams tanks, the main battle tank of the U.S. military. During the Biden administration, the planned parade was a small-scale event including up to 300 soldiers and civilian employees and four cannons, but WP reported that the scale was expanded after President Trump took office. President Trump also attempted to hold a parade in Washington during his first term in 2018, but it was canceled due to internal opposition.
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