Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday night as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.
Trump has invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed.
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor. In a letter Sunday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested that Trump remove National Guard members, calling their deployment a “serious breach of state sovereignty.”
Here is a look at the latest:
The city of Glendale cancels a contract that allows ICE to house detainees in its local jail
The city in California is cancelling a contract that allowed federal immigration authorities to house detainees within its local jail, citing fears of undermining community trust.
In a statement Sunday night, Glendale officials said the city would formally terminate its agreement with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“(T)he City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive,” the statement noted.
Federal immigration authorities often enter into agreements with local police departments to house immigrant detainees. ICE’s agreement with Glendale had been in place since 2007, officials said.
An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Travel Ban
As tensions continue to rise over Trump’s immigration enforcement, the President’s new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries is taking effect Monday.
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Trump was awake past midnight raging against the protests in LA and calling for a crackdown
“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he wrote on Truth Social at 12:16 a.m. ET.
Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The military said 500 Marines were on standby.
“ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!” Trump wrote at 12:19 a.m. Trump cited Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s recent comments to defend his response to the protests.
“Don’t let these thugs get away with this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote at 12:14 a.m.
“This thing has gotten out of control,” McDonell said Sunday.
“We have great cops in Southern California here that work together all the time,” he said. But he added that “looking at the violence tonight, I think we gotta make a reassessment.”
Australian reporter hit by nonlethal round during live report from the protests
An Australian television journalist was hit in the leg by a nonlethal round Sunday while reporting live from downtown Los Angeles.
Video of the incident released by 9News shows correspondent Lauren Tomasi reporting live when an officer behind her suddenly raises their firearm and fires a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi, who doesn’t appear to be wearing personal protective equipment, cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as she and her cameraman quickly move away from the police line.
“You just (expletive) shot the reporter,” a voice off-camera can be heard shouting.
The shooting came after a tense afternoon in which Tomasi and her crew were caught between riot police and protesters. At one point, she struggled to speak over the sound of clashes, while a protester grabbed the camera mid-broadcast.
“They’ve told people to get out of this area, and protesters have been refusing,” she reported. “We are safe here. It’s just noisy. But you can see the volatility.”
Speaking later Monday to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed.
Clashes escalated Sunday as National Guard troops arrived downtown
Starting Sunday morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted “shame” and “go home.” After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.
Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon.
Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles.
Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening.
Protests intensified on Sunday night in Los Angeles after Trump deployed National Guard troops
Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against 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 making arrests of people who don’t leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.
The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.
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