President vows to crush ‘foreign invasion’ after anti-ICE protesters turn downtown into battleground – with 200 arrested in single day and $134 million military deployment underway
Los Angeles erupted into chaos on Tuesday as President Donald Trump deployed 700 Marines to the embattled city, with masked protesters torching self-driving cars, looting businesses and clashing with police in violent scenes that have left downtown under an emergency curfew.
Mayor Karen Bass imposed the dramatic 8pm to 6am lockdown on a one-square-mile section of downtown after 23 businesses were looted during four days of mayhem, with nearly 200 arrests made on Tuesday alone – before the curfew even took effect.
The extraordinary military deployment marks the first time Marines have been sent to handle domestic unrest in decades, with hundreds of more law enforcement officers also racing to the city from neighboring jurisdictions.
Speaking to soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Trump launched a blistering attack on the protesters, vowing to “liberate Los Angeles” from what he called “paid troublemakers” and agents of a “foreign invasion.”
Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness,” Trump thundered to cheering troops.
VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN DOWNTOWN
The protests, which began Friday following immigration raids across Los Angeles, descended into shocking violence over the weekend:
- Five Waymo driverless cars were vandalized and set alight, with police warning that burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases
- Protesters blocked the US 101 freeway in both directions, forcing its closure
- Numerous buildings, including the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, the United States Courthouse, and the old Los Angeles Times Building, were tagged with graffiti
- Multiple windows at LAPD headquarters were smashed
- Several fires also reported to have been set in dumpsters and trash bins
- An Australian reporter was struck by a rubber bullet while covering the chaos
Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda,” the LAPD warned on social media as the curfew went into effect, announcing that “mass arrests are being initiated.
MILITARY SHOWDOWN
The deployment has sparked a dramatic confrontation between Trump and California’s Democratic leaders, with Governor Gavin Newsom filing an emergency lawsuit to block the federal troops.
The curfew was intended to ‘stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President’s chaotic escalation,'” Mayor Bass said, accusing Trump of deliberately creating disorder.
But Trump hit back during his Fort Bragg speech, claiming “You would have had a horrible situation had I not sent them. You’d be reporting on a lot of death and a lot of destruction.”
The president revealed the 60-day deployment of National Guard and Marines to L.A. is expected to cost $134 million, with 4,000 National Guard troops joining the 700 Marines already deployed.
‘THIS ANARCHY WILL NOT STAND’
In extraordinary scenes at Fort Bragg, Trump led traditionally non-partisan service members through political rally-style chants, drawing jeers directed at the press and cheers for his hardline stance.
This anarchy will not stand,” Trump declared. We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.
The president even threatened to invoke the rarely-used Insurrection Act of 1807, telling reporters: “If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it.”
DOWNTOWN LOCKDOWN
The curfew zone covers 1sq mile (2.6sq km) of the downtown area, bordered by the 5, 10 and 110 freeways.
If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area,” Mayor Bass warned. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew and you will be prosecuted.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called it “a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property, following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city.
Those exempt from the curfew include:
- Residents and workers in the area
- Law enforcement and emergency personnel
- Credentialed media
- The homeless
NATIONWIDE PROTESTS SPREAD
The unrest has spread far beyond Los Angeles, with solidarity protests in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Portland, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Tampa, Sacramento, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix, Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, and Chicago.
In San Francisco, 148 people were arrested during a protest outside an ICE office, with two police officers injured.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed National Guard troops to various locations ahead of planned protests, vowing they will “use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
The crisis has ignited a fierce political battle, with Trump accusing California’s leaders of failing to protect their citizens.
What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace and public order, and our national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country,” Trump told the Fort Bragg crowd.
But Newsom fired back, calling the troop deployment “a brazen abuse of power” and accusing Trump of using Los Angeles as “a test case” for usurping the authority of local governments.
“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” Newsom said, claiming troops were going without food and water while waiting in federal buildings.
As darkness fell on Tuesday night, downtown Los Angeles remained under heavy police and military presence, with residents bracing for what could be several more days of curfews and confrontation in America’s second-largest city.
