More than 200 protesters engaged in an intense standoff with National Guard troops in downtown Los Angeles amid weekend protests over the mass immigration raids carried out throughout California.
On the ground, Xinhua journalists saw National Guard units work hand-in-hand with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers as they insistently fired tear gas and smoke grenades in an effort to disperse the crowd. Various members of the press corps and protesters were hurt in the melee.
"We wish to protest peacefully. But the Trump administration has just deployed soldiers to fight us. Do they need to?" asked one demonstrator amidst the chaos.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded shortly after the violence, appealing to protesters not to engage in violence.
"California -- Don't give Donald Trump what he wants. Speak up. Stay peaceful. Stay calm," Newsom posted online. "Don't use violence and have respect for the law enforcement officers who are doing their best to maintain the peace."
As per video broadcast by local television station ABC 7, National Guard troops, deployed by the Trump administration, descended on downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. The deployment is the first since 1965 that a president has called up a state's National Guard without the governor's approval, said Elizabeth Goiteen of the Brennan Center for Justice in an interview with The New York Times.
ABC 7's coverage showed soldiers deployed around City Hall and in places such as Paramount and Compton, where clashes had been occurring since Friday afternoon between protesters, federal agents, and local police.
The demonstrations came after a string of federal immigration raids initiated Friday at several locations throughout Southern California. The operations, led by ICE and backed by other federal agencies, caused an uproar among the public. In spite of the mass protests, federal authorities confirmed that they would continue the raids.
The two-day raids resulted in over 100 arrests, which further angered protesters who retaliated with rocks, flash-bang grenades, and other means of protest.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump amplified the federal reaction by approving the deployment of 2,000 National Guard soldiers to quell the protests in the Los Angeles area. This unusual exercise of federal power bypassed Governor Newsom's approval and triggered immense political pushback.
Governor Newsom and Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass were vocal critics of the president's move, labeling the deployment as unnecessary and inflammatory.
As per media reports, Newsom denounced the move in a fundraising e-mail sent Sunday morning:
"Last night, President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to be deployed in Los Angeles under the pretext of protests against his immigration raids. The president is trying to fan the flames and get a reaction," he wrote.
Newsom cautioned that Trump's move, along with the threats to deploy U.S. Marines, will further inflame protests and incite violence instead of ending it.
Mayor Bass echoed the governor's worries in an interview on Sunday, expressing annoyance at what she perceived as an overblown response.
"There were demonstrations last night in Los Angeles -- my understanding is that there were around 120 demonstrators. A number of them did engage in acts of vandalism, but there was nothing going on in downtown Los Angeles that the Los Angeles Police Department was not able to handle to deal with, so in my view, this is wholly unnecessary," she said.
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