By Jake Offenhartz Christopher Weber, Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp | Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump is “pulling a military dragnet” across Los Angeles during a brief public address on Tuesday.
The Democratic governor’s remarks come after Trump ordered the deployment of nearly 5,000 troops, including National Guard and Marines, to the nation’s second-largest city. They were deployed to protect federal buildings but are now also protecting immigration agents as they carry out arrests. Photos posted Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests.
ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers “who are out on daily enforcement operations.” The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.
Newsom said Trump’s immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals and that “dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses” are among those being detained.
He said Trump’s decision to deploy the California National Guard without his support should be a warning to other states.
“California may be first — but it clearly won’t end here,” Newsom said.
Newsom earlier Tuesday asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. He filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to LA of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city.
The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A judge set a hearing for Thursday.
The Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops were sent to LA on Monday, adding to a military presence that local officials and Newsom do not want and that the police chief says makes it harder to handle the protests safely.
Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday that the Marines had not yet been called to respond to the protests and were there only to protect federal officials and property. The Marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority, Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill.
Marines were not seen on the streets yet, while National guard troops so far have had limited engagement with protesters.
LA’s mayor and the governor have said Trump is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don’t need the help.
LA mayor puts curfew in place
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to stop vandalism and looting as protests over President Donald Trump’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws continued in the city.
She said in a news conference that she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
“We reached a tipping point” after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said.
The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (2,295 square kilometers).
The curfew doesn’t apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
McDonnell said “unlawful and dangerous behavior” had been escalating since Saturday.
“The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,” McDonnell said.
Baldor and Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Greg Bull in Seal Beach, California, contributed to this report.