Newsom calls Trump’s Marine deployment in LA a ‘blatant abuse of power’: Live updates
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LA protests live: Newsom calls Trump’s Marine deployment a ‘blatant abuse of power’
State officials say they will sue the Trump administration over its decision to “trample over” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authority. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass calls the move a “deliberate attempt to create disorder and chaos in our city” The protests began Friday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps near Los Angeles resulted in more than 40 arrests. Trump has insisted that he had no choice but to increase the level of force in response to growing unrest over his immigration crackdown. The protests had largely been peaceful but flared up when heavily armed, masked agents raided Los Angeles businesses. The raids were defended by ICE and said those arrested by ICE included a Vietnamese man, an Ecuadoran man convicted of second-degree murder, and a Filipino man who convicted of five kilograms of cocaine. The mayor said at least five ICE groups were still working to compile more information on the raids, but some people appeared scheduled for immigration appointments, including in New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia, according to a report in The New York Times.
State officials saying they will sue the Trump administration over its decision to “trample over” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authority.
Tensions flared in Los Angeles late Monday after Trump escalated military presence in the region in a move Mayor Karen Bass called a “deliberate attempt to create disorder and chaos in our city.”
California authorities and the Trump administration clashed over the president’s decisions to send thousands of National Guard troops, along with 700 Marines, to the greater Los Angeles area. Trump has insisted that he had no choice but to increase the level of force in response to growing unrest over his immigration crackdown.
National Guard lawsuit a ‘test case’
On Monday, California sued the Trump administration, alleging that the president’s actions were unnecessary and unlawful. California Gov. Gavin Newsom later indicated that he will take similar action to prevent the Marines from being deployed, describing the order as a “blatant abuse of power.”
“It makes me feel like our city is actually a test case,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference. “A test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government.”
Later Monday, police officers had running confrontations with protesters who had scattered into the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. As people watched from apartment patios above street level, and as tourists huddled inside hotels, a large contingent of LAPD officers and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies fired several flash bangs that boomed through side streets along with tear gas.
‘I hate it’: LA residents who surveyed vandalism fear more violence in future protests
Newsom: Marines are not ‘political pawns’
The California governor said late Monday night that U.S. Marines are “not political pawns” in a post to social media blasting Trump’s decision to send the military members to California.
Newsom said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was “illegally” deploying the Marines and argued it was a stunt so Trump could have a “talking point” at a planned parade in Washington on Saturday to celebrate the 250th birthday of the Army, also the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.
“It’s a blatant abuse of power,” Newsom said.
“The Courts and Congress must act. Checks and balances are crumbling,” Newsom added.
-Jeanine Santucci
Federal forces present ‘challenge’ for police
Officials at the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday that despite violent demonstrations, local police can handle whatever protesters throw at them and that federal help is unnecessary and could become a hindrance.
“The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles – absent clear coordination – presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,” Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement. “The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively.” Read more here.
LAPD said officers have fired over 600 non-lethal bullets and used tear gas on the “hostile crowd.” Among those hit was an Australian journalist covering the protests.
At least five officers received minor injuries, according to police. Five police horses also “were targeted and sustained minor injuries,” police said.
− Michael Loria
Days of protests sparked by ICE raids in LA
The protests began Friday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps near Los Angeles resulted in more than 40 arrests. The protests had largely been peaceful but flared up when heavily armed, masked agents raided Los Angeles businesses.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, defended the raids and said those arrested by ICE included a Vietnamese man convicted of second-degree murder, an Ecuadoran man convicted of possession of five kilograms of cocaine, and a Filipino man convicted of sexual offenses.
On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said local immigrant rights groups had confirmed at least five ICE raids in the Los Angeles region. The mayor said officials were still working to compile more information on the raids but noted that in some cases, ICE targeted day laborers and detained people who appeared for scheduled immigration appointments.
“As you know, ICE does not tell anybody where they’re going to go or when they’re going to be there,” Bass said at the Monday news conference.
Protests also sprang up in at least nine other cities across the U.S. on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, according to Reuters.
When does a protest become a riot?
Protests in Los Angeles were relatively peaceful when they began on Friday, but escalated into scenes of chaos, with electric vehicles lit aflame, large clouds of tear gas and clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators. Trump has backed his move to send in troops, calling the protests “violent, insurrectionist mobs” and “lawless riots.” But Newsom said it was Trump who “instigated violence.”
Experts say while there are legal definitions for a riot, the term has become increasingly politicized and encapsulates a wide variety of incidents. In most states including California, the key determinator lies in whether multiple people are involved and whether they are committing acts of violence, Brian Higgins, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said.
“One person is not a riot and neither is a group that is nonviolent,” he said. “They can even be breaking the law, like refusing to disperse. It’s when you add in the factor of violence that it becomes a riot.”
There are some gray areas, he said. Experts also said while violence is a defining factor in a riot, such violence could be incited by law enforcement. Read more.
Waymo suspends some LA service after self-driving cars torched
Waymo has temporarily suspended its ride hailing service in downtown Los Angeles after several of the company’s self-driving cars were set on fire in the weekend’s protests.
A Waymo spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday the company has removed its vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and is currently not serving the area “out of an abundance of caution.”
The spokesperson said the company is still operating in Los Angeles and is working in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Footage shared on social media captured several Waymo driverless taxis engulfed in flames in the June 8 protests. Others were vandalized with messages against Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, videos show.
Waymo cars are self-driving taxis operated by computers instead of humans. The company uses electric Jaguar I-PACE cars.
-Melina Khan
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Michael Loria, Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; Reuters