Trump hails troop deployment against protests as California gears up for legal battle

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on June 12 that Los Angeles was “safe and sound” for the past two nights, crediting his deployment of thousands of troops to quell anti-deportation protests as California prepared for a legal showdown over his unprecedented move.

With protests spreading across the United States

, a night-time curfew has been in place in its second-largest city, with the authorities tackling vandalism and looting that scarred a few city blocks.

“Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the LA police in a position to effectively do their job,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social, adding that without the military, the city “would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years”.

The mostly peaceful protests ignited last week over an escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally, but there were also pockets of violence, including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling of stones at police.

Mr Trump deployed several thousand National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, the first such action by a US president in decades.

Mr Trump charged that the governor “had totally lost control of the situation”.

“He should be saying thank you for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence,” the President added.

In Spokane in the north-west state of Washington, another night curfew was declared after police arrested more than 30 protesters and fired pepper balls to disperse crowds, officials said.

In Seattle, Washington state’s biggest city, police arrested eight people after a dumpster was set on fire and projectiles thrown. Three people were arrested in Tucson, Arizona, following clashes with police, the Arizona Republic reported.

Protests also took place in Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston, according to CNN.

‘Democracy is under assault’

Mr Trump won the election in 2024 partly on promises to combat what he claims is an “invasion” by undocumented migrants.

“If I wasn’t there... Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground,” he told reporters on June 11.

Around 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Mr Trump deployed were actively guarding facilities and working alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, said Major-General Scott Sherman, deputy commanding general of Army North, who is leading operations.

The rest – including 700 active duty Marines – were mustering or undergoing training to deal with civil disturbances, he said.

The Pentagon has said the deployment will cost taxpayers US$134 million (S$171 million).

Mr Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as eying a 2028 presidential run, has accused Mr Trump of escalating the confrontation for political gain.

He warned earlier this week that the militarisation would creep beyond his state’s borders, saying “democracy is under assault right before our eyes”.

Lawyers for California were expected in court on June 12 to seek an order blocking troops from accompanying immigration officers as they arrest migrants.

Trump administration lawyers called the application a “crass political stunt”.

Military parade

A nationwide “No Kings” movement is expected on June 14, when Mr Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.

The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organised to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army, but also happens to be the day of Mr Trump’s 79th birthday.

The Trump administration is painting the wave of protests as a violent threat to the nation, requiring military force to support regular immigration agents and police.

But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the crisis had been manufactured in Washington.

“A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles,” she told reporters.

“Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place... that is the cause of the problems.

“This was provoked by the White House.”

Arrests by masked and armed men continued June 11.

A pastor in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey said five armed men driving out-of-state cars grabbed a Spanish-speaking man in the church’s carpark.

When Pastor Tanya Lopez challenged the men and asked for their badge numbers and names, they refused.

“They did point their rifle at me and said, ‘You need to get back’,” she told broadcaster KTLA. AFP