Guided Chaos: Riots continue in Los Angeles

On Friday, June 6, rallies began in California's largest city, Los Angeles, due to dissatisfaction with the migration policy of President Donald Trump. Rallies and clashes with police have been going on for the fourth day, and the National Guard has been sent to disperse the protesters. The details of what is happening are in the Izvestia article.

Protests in Los Angeles: what is known are the reasons

Since Friday, June 6, protests have been taking place in Los Angeles, which began due to raids by the migration and customs service in order to identify illegal migrants and deport them. It was reported that 118 people suspected of violating migration laws were detained in the vicinity of the city during the week.

On the first day of the protests, a crowd gathered outside the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center. The law enforcement authorities declared this meeting illegal and ordered everyone to disperse. Clashes with the police began. The police used tear gas and stun grenades, and the protesters, mostly migrants, responded by launching fireworks and throwing stones at the law enforcement officers.

On Saturday, June 7, as the protests continued, US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that the federal government would intervene if Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass "couldn't do their job." "Governor Gavin Newsom and 'Mayor' Bass owe the people of Los Angeles an apology for the absolutely terrible job they have done, and that now includes the ongoing Los Angeles riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and rebels. Remember, NO MASKS!" he wrote on a social network, calling the protesters "paid."

The White House warned that two thousand National Guard troops would be sent to the city to fight the demonstrators. The transfer of units to Los Angeles began on Sunday morning. Commenting on the plan to free Los Angeles from criminals, Trump said that "no one will spit at our police officers."

This is the first forced deployment of troops to Los Angeles since 1992 (in 33 years) without a request from the state authorities. The US National Guard forces are reportedly deployed in at least three locations, including near the city center, where the detainees were taken during the raids.

Also on Sunday, it became known that protesters blocked the main highway in downtown Los Angeles and set fire to self-driving cars. The head of the Los Angeles Police Department has already admitted that his staff is stunned by what is happening. Helicopters of the security services were deployed to control the areas that were covered by the protests. They patrolled the central areas of Los Angeles from early morning until Sunday evening.

According to law enforcement agencies, at least 56 people were detained in Los Angeles over the weekend.

Democrats versus Republicans

On the Truth Social network, Donald Trump has already thanked the National Guard for its work and criticized local authorities for inaction. At the same time, at some point, street rallies led to another outbreak of confrontation between Democrats and Republicans.

The governor of California, a Democrat, called Trump's decision "deliberate incitement," which will only increase tensions, and also demanded that the presidential administration revoke the decree on the deployment of troops to Los Angeles and return to him command of the National Guard in the state.

"I have officially demanded that the Trump administration cancel the illegal deployment of troops (National Guard. — Ed.) in Los Angeles County and return them to my command. We had no problems until Trump intervened. This is a serious violation of the sovereignty of the state, escalating tensions and dragging resources from where they are really needed. Repeal this decree. Return control to California," he wrote on the social network X.

In addition to Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governors of 22 other states criticized Donald Trump's decision to use the National Guard to suppress protests in Los Angeles. In their opinion, in this way the US president demonstrates "distrust of local law enforcement officers."

"This chaos on the streets of our city is caused by the activities of the country's administration. Residents have the right to peaceful protest, White House officials have no right to prohibit them from expressing their opinions and emotions, and the deployment of federal troops is a dangerous escalation!" said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Elon Musk, who had recently supported the Republicans, came to Donald Trump's aid. Despite his public spat with Trump last week, the billionaire also lashed out at the governor of the state.

The head of the border service, Tom Homan, in turn, threatened the governor of California with arrest. But Gavin Newsom only ridiculed the chief border guard in response: "Come on, Tom, come and arrest me! You're such a cool guy, of course! But let's leave these poor people, including migrants, alone."

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristy Noem, a Republican, also criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom: "If he (Newsom — Ed.) had done his job, people would not have suffered. Governor Newsom has proven that he makes the wrong decisions."

Against the background of what is happening in Los Angeles, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov has already compared the riots in California with the civil war, he wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kesh Patel, called the protesters in Los Angeles violent criminals and promised to restore public order: "I want to make it clear: the FBI does not need anyone's permission to enforce the constitution. My duty is to serve the American people, not to pander to political interests. Los Angeles is besieged by criminals committing acts of looting, and we will restore order."