Trump Defends Deploying Nat'l Guard In Los Angeles

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, June 9 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump emphasized on Monday his commitment to sending 2,000 National Guard members to the city of Los Angeles, California, where protests erupted a few days ago, opposing Trump's administration's approach to deporting illegal immigrants.
In a post to social media platform 'Truth Social', Trump said, "we made a great decision to send the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated."
Addressing Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, he added that they "should be saying, thank you, President Trump, you are so wonderful.
We would be nothing without you, sir. Instead, they choose to lie to the people of California and America by saying that we (National Guard) weren't needed, and that these are "peaceful protests."
President Trump stated, "Just one look at the pictures and videos of the violence and destruction tells you all you have to know. We will always do what is needed to keep our citizens safe, so we can, together, make America great again."
For his part, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would sue the US administration over the decision to send the National Guard without his approval, as political custom dictates consulting the governor and obtaining his consent before deploying the National Guard to the state.
Newsom wrote in a post to social media platform 'X,' "I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles Country and return them to my command."
He added, "We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty - inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed."
He continued, "Donald Trump is putting fuel on this fire. Commandeering a state's National Guard without the consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral. California will be taking him to court."
On the other hand, police announced that there were acts of chaos and looting during last night, urging citizens to report such cases.
The US Northern Command clarified in a statement yesterday that the deployment of the National Guard was taken "to protect federal employees and federal properties in the Greater Los Angeles Area."
Clashes reignited over the weekend between security forces and protests in tense confrontations in the Paramount area southeast of Los Angeles amid protests against immigration law, where tear gas and sound bombs were used to disperse the demonstrators.
The US Department of Homeland Security stated in a statement, "a thousand rioters besieged a federal law enforcement building and assaulted individuals belonging to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, punctured tires, and defaced buildings."
Protests escalated after federal immigration authorities conducted inspections at three locations in the state last Saturday, resulting the arrest of at least 44 people as part of President Trump's campaign to combat illegal immigration. (end)
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