US President Donald Trump has vowed to "crush rioters" in Los Angeles following days of unrest sparked by federal immigration raids. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom has fiercely condemned the federal government's takeover of the California National Guard and the deployment of 2,000 troops to the city, calling it a political stunt designed to provoke violence.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” Trump wrote.
The federal government has since moved to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles and has effectively taken operational control of the California National Guard, a decision Governor Gavin Newsom called dangerous and politically motivated.
In a sharply worded response posted on X, Newsom said: "The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles - not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully."
Earlier, Newsom posted a warning that the move would only worsen tensions on the ground: "The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.
LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust."
He also criticised recent federal immigration operations, claiming they are being carried out recklessly:"As the federal government conducts chaotic immigration sweeps across the country, the state is deploying additional CHP to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace. It's not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement.
The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilised country behaves."The protests began in response to large-scale immigration raids targeting undocumented residents in several Los Angeles neighbourhoods.
Civil rights groups and immigrant advocates have condemned the operations as racially charged and unnecessarily aggressive. Dozens of demonstrators have been arrested, and multiple reports of injuries have emerged after confrontations with federal agents.Local officials maintain that there is no shortage of law enforcement support in the city and that federal involvement is not only unnecessary but inflammatory.