Former US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the ongoing protests in Los Angeles, labeling them a “full-blown assault on peace, public order, and national sovereignty,” according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Speaking at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during an event commemorating the 250th anniversary of the US Army, Trump also proposed legislative action to penalize American flag desecration, stating, “These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs,” and that he is working with Senators to introduce a law mandating a one-year prison term for burning the flag.
Trump directly targeted California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of incompetence and alleging they supported the unrest by “paying troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists” to protest. He claimed that protestors demanded the withdrawal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Los Angeles and a halt to federal immigration law enforcement.
“These demands are disgraceful. So sad what they’ve done to our country,” Trump remarked.
The protests reportedly erupted after ICE carried out raids across Los Angeles, detaining dozens of undocumented immigrants. In response, Trump ordered a significant military presence in the region.
Following an earlier deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops over the weekend, the Department of Defence confirmed that an additional 2,000 troops would be mobilized to assist ICE and federal law enforcement. “At the order of the President, the Department of Defence is mobilising an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE,” stated Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, via social media platform X.
However, California pushed back against the move. On the same day as the new deployment, the state filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the troop mobilizations, escalating the legal and political standoff between state and federal authorities.
