US National Guard readying for increased immigration protests, according to official | Donald Trump Updates

The National Guard members stationed at the protests in Los Angeles have been trained to briefly detain civilians when necessary, according to the troops’ commander. As of Wednesday, Major General Scott Sherman confirmed that no troops have detained any protester, according to an earlier report. The National Guard’s deployment was in response to protests against US President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation, which recently targeted hardware stores and other businesses in southern California, leading to widespread fury. Protesters filled the streets on Friday to condemn the immigration raids. Trump responded by sending the military to the scene, criticizing what he saw as “third-world lawlessness” in the city. However, the protests have now spread beyond Los Angeles to major cities across the country. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sherman stated that authorities “are expecting an increase” in national unrest in the coming days. He added that 500 of the more than 4,000 National Guard members dispatched to Los Angeles have received training to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the immigration raids. These statements come amidst growing criticism of Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to California without Governor Gavin Newsom’s permission. Since the National Guard arrived on Sunday, Trump has sent nearly 700 Marines to the Los Angeles area as well. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused the Trump administration of using the military to intensify tensions in the city, where the protests initially erupted on Friday. According to Bass, the administration initially stated that it would target violent felons, gang members, and drug dealers. But when Home Depots and workplaces were raided and families were separated, she argued that the administration’s aim was to instill fear and panic. Moreover, Bass questioned whether Trump was overstepping his presidential power. Governor Newsom filed an emergency motion on Tuesday to restrict Trump’s expansion of the military presence in Los Angeles beyond federal buildings, with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday. Bass and Governor Newsom have maintained that local law enforcement was capable of handling the situation before Trump’s intervention and that the military presence has fostered more unrest. The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, repeated Trump’s claims that sending in the National Guard and Marines had prevented Los Angeles from descending into chaos. She accused Bass and Newsom of shamefully neglecting their obligations to their citizens and using a violent mob as a weapon against their constituents to hinder the enforcement of immigration law. Amidst the unrest, the Trump administration has vowed to continue its aggressive immigration raids, with officials setting a quota of 3,000 arrests a day last month. Advocates argue that the pressure has compelled ICE agents to take increasingly extreme measures, targeting individuals without documentation, even those without criminal records and those with strong ties to the community. Witnesses in Los Angeles reported that authorities are conducting blanket raids at Home Depot hardware stores, where undocumented day laborers often seek employment. According to Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle, laborers in the area are using WhatsApp and other means of communication to warn each other of potential ICE agents. As of now, 61 Mexican nationals have been detained in Los Angeles during the recent raids, as per Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the influx of migrants into the US constitutes an “invasion,” necessitating emergency actions. However, during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, did not concur with Trump’s assessment, stating that he doesn’t see any foreign state-sponsored invasion, although he acknowledged some border issues.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/12/national-guard-expecting-a-ramp-up-in-immigration-protests-says-official?traffic_source=rss