Trump prepares to send troops to other cities after 6 days of protests
Protests in Los Angeles entered their sixth day, with authorities imposing a partial curfew for the second day in a row, from 8 pm to 6 am (local time).
The curfew covers a 2.5-square-kilometer area, the same area where protests have been ongoing since last Friday in the city of nearly 4 million people.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the curfew will remain in place as long as necessary, adding, “If raids and police presence continue on our streets, the curfew will remain in place”.
For its part, the Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of 225 people on Tuesday, including 203 for failure to disperse and 17 for violating the curfew.
In a related development, the Washington Post revealed that US President Donald Trump is preparing to deploy National Guard forces to more US cities if the protests spread beyond Los Angeles.
This measure is an unprecedented step that could constitute the largest use of military force on US soil in modern history.
Defense Secretary told a congressional hearing that the Pentagon is prepared to deploy the National Guard to additional cities if riots threaten law enforcement.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt warned protesters that continued chaos would only strengthen the administration’s resolve to confront the protests, saying, “Let this be a warning to left-wing extremists who are considering mimicking violence to stop mass deportation efforts: You won’t succeed”.
These statements come amid escalating hostile rhetoric from President Trump, who has threatened to use force not only against immigration activists but also against any protesters seeking to disrupt the military parade scheduled to be held in Washington on Saturday to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army.
