Newsom blasts Trump’s troop deployment as protests over immigration raids spread nationwide. Image: Associated Press.
(The Post News)– California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly rebuked President Donald Trump, calling the deployment of military troops in Los Angeles a “brazen abuse of power” as protests erupted across the country in response to federal immigration raids.
Newsom’s televised speech came just hours before an all-night curfew took effect in downtown Los Angeles. Mayor Karen Bass ordered the 8 p.m. lockdown after days of escalating tensions between demonstrators and law enforcement.
The protests were sparked by a series of federal workplace immigration raids, which saw federal agents, backed by National Guard troops, sweep across neighbourhoods in Los Angeles.
Despite California’s attempt to block the military operations through an emergency court order, National Guard personnel accompanied immigration officers during Tuesday’s raids. State officials argued that the troops should be limited to protecting federal buildings downtown where protesters had been gathering peacefully.
The situation in Los Angeles echoed scenes in cities nationwide. In downtown Chicago, demonstrators clashed with police, hurling water bottles and damaging patrol vehicles. In New York, arrests were made near federal buildings in Lower Manhattan as tensions flared. And in Atlanta, officers used chemical agents to disperse a group of protesters who had occupied a portion of a highway.
Speaking to troops in North Carolina earlier that day, President Trump dismissed the protests in Los Angeles and vowed further action. He claimed that their aim is to liberate LA, which is a “trash heap”; they refuse to let their cities fall into lawlessness.
Nearly 5,000 National Guard troops and Marines have already been deployed in the L.A. area. A senior U.S. official confirmed that discussions were underway about sending military forces to other protest-heavy cities.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in California scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider the state’s motion to restrict the deployment of troops. The state has also filed suit against the administration’s effort to take control of California’s own National Guard.
Despite their tense nature, the protests remained mostly concentrated in major cities’ central regions. Officials reported hundreds of arrests, including more than 330 in Los Angeles and over 240 in San Francisco.
But the unrest has not been limited to the streets. Social media platforms were inundated with misinformation, doctored images, and recycled conspiracy theories aimed at demonising immigrants and Democratic leaders. Analysts believe the disinformation campaign is part of a coordinated effort to justify the administration’s aggressive response and sow division ahead of upcoming political events.
Adding to the tension, President Trump issued a stark warning against any protests during a planned military parade in Washington, D.C., this weekend. “For those people that want to protest, they’re going to be met with very big force,” Trump said.
As night fell over Los Angeles, downtown streets emptied under the weight of curfews, court orders, and heavily armed patrols. But the voices of protest—angry, urgent, and defiant—continue to echo across the country, challenging the limits of presidential power and the meaning of democracy in uncertain times.
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