Federal Officials Say that the National Guard will arrive in L.A.

Recently, 2000 troops were dispatched in L.A to keep order amongst the streets. There were two protests against the deployment of forces sent to deport and capture illegal immigrants on Friday and Saturday that resulted in assaults on agents and destruction of local property. Molotov cocktails and rocks were thrown at the agents, and there were a total of 118 arrests on both Friday and Saturday.

Bill Essayli, an interim U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated in an interview on Saturday night that the 2,000 National Guards were necessary in order to keep order throughout the region. “The state has an obligation to maintain order and maintain public safety,” he claimed. However, not all officials were happy about Trump’s decision.

Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, posted on social media that his office had been in touch with local law enforcement and was informed that “they have the resources they need to meet the moment”. This led him to question why the administration needed the troops. Governor Gavin Newsom of California criticized President Trump’s order, calling it “purposefully inflammatory”. He said that Trump had deployed the National Guard “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle”.

“The governor doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” derogated Mr. Essayli. As a former Republican state legislator, he frequently criticized the actions taken by Gov. Newsom. One of Mr. Newsom’s supporting spokespersons, Izzy Gardon, stated that the president knew that frequently Californian authorities had guidelines for these kinds of protests without having the military intervene. “Mr. Essayli may still be learning the ropes of his new job, but even a rookie should know the president doesn’t need to commandeer 2,000 soldiers to respond to a few hundred protesters–especially before using the standard mutual aid process,” Mr. Gardon had continued.

During this event, misinformation has been going around the community as well. Mr. Essayli said the protests on Saturday were because of “false reporting”. Many protesters believed that agents sent by the administration would search a Home Depot located in Paramount and incarcerate those who did not have concrete evidence that they were legal citizens.

Nevertheless, the actions made by Trump will probably cause chaos, traffic in the streets, and arguments between most residents of the Los Angeles area. These protests will definitely spark political and public crossfire (as already seen), and although these protests were mostly peaceful, violence will most likely be seen on the streets.