California governor warns ‘democracy under assault’

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of US Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday under orders from President Donald J. Trump, ratcheting up tensions in America’s second largest city, as California’s governor warned “democracy is under assault.”

Mr. Trump’s extraordinary measures of sending National Guard and Marines to quell protests, which broke out in response to his immigration raids, fueled demonstrations for a fifth day in Los Angeles, and sparked protests in several other cities.

As Mr. Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom traded fulminations, the city’s mayor said the protests were limited to about five downtown streets, but declared a curfew for parts of the downtown area due to violence and looting.

Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew and “mass arrests are being initiated.” Police earlier said that 197 people had already been arrested on Tuesday — more than double the total number of arrests to date.

Democratic leaders have raised concerns over a national crisis in what has become the most intense flashpoint yet in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally, and then crack down on opponents who take to the streets in protest.

“This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That’s when the downward spiral began,” Mr. Newsom said in a video address.

“He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety… Democracy is under assault.”

Mr. Newsom, widely seen as preparing for a presidential run in 2028, has called deployments an illegal waste of resources. He and the state sued Mr. Trump and the Defense department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Mr. Trump in turn has suggested Mr. Newsom should be arrested.

Mr. Trump, voted back into office last year largely for his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision.

He told troops at the Army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina: “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.”

“What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags,” Mr. Trump said, adding his administration would “liberate Los Angeles.”

Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity for the migrants rounded in a series of intensifying raids.

Homeland Security said on Monday its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joseph R. Biden.

UNREST IN THE STREETS
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced a curfew for one square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of downtown Los Angeles that will run from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. locally (0300 to 1300 GMT) for several days.

With five minutes until the curfew took effect, hundreds of protesters faced police with their hands raised, chanting “peaceful protest.”

Even so, state and local officials have called Mr. Trump’s response an extreme overreaction to mostly peaceful demonstrations.

Ms. Bass emphasized at a press conference the distinction between the majority of demonstrators protesting peacefully and a smaller number of agitators she blamed for violence and looting.

A curfew had been considered for several days but Ms. Bass said she decided to impose one after 23 businesses were looted on Monday night.

“When these peaceful rallies end, and the protesters head home, another element moves in: opportunists, who come in under the cover of a peaceful protest to ravage and destroy,” Council member Ysabel Jurado, who represents the area, told reporters.

As the mayor and the council member spoke, police and protesters were engaged in skirmishes outside.

About 700 Marines were in a staging area in the Seal Beach area about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, awaiting deployment to specific locations, a US official said.

A US official said there were 2,100 National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, more than half the 4,000 to be activated. The Marines and National Guard troops lack the authority to make arrests and will be charged only with protecting federal property and personnel. — Reuters