Thousands take to streets in response to the deployment of National Guard ‘without consulting’ the State’s Governor; law enforcement officials use tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs as crowds block a major freeway and set vehicles on fire.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he planned to file a lawsuit on Monday against U.S. President Donald Trump in response to the administration’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard to confront immigration protesters who took to the streets in Los Angeles.
“Commandeering a State’s National Guard without consulting the Governor of that State is illegal and immoral,†Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC on Sunday.
The streets of the sprawling city of 4 million people were mostly quiet on Monday morning, the day after crowds blocked off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
Sunday’s protests were centred in several blocks of downtown and a handful of other places. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.
Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and arresting those who don’t leave. Some of those who stayed threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier. Others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover at one point.
The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention centre where protesters concentrated.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed†by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up to cause trouble.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained on Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.
Mr. Trump responded to Mr. McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks. “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!†he wrote.
Mr. Newsom called on Mr. Trump to rescind the Guard deployment in a letter on Sunday afternoon, calling it a “serious breach of State sovereignty.â€
The Governor, who was was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials, also told protesters that they were playing into Mr. Trump’s plans and would face arrest for violence or property destruction.
