Tensions escalated in Los Angeles on Monday, a day after violent clashes between protesters and security forces over immigration raids. The California governor vowed to sue President Donald Trump for deploying the National Guard, while the United Nations called for avoiding "further militarization."
Police are on high alert after banning gatherings in the city center, where cars were burned over the weekend and security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters.
"This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted," Governor Gavin Newsom said in a social media post. "He set fires and acted against the law by deploying the National Guard at the federal level."
He added, "We are going to prosecute him."
The White House has fueled the confrontation between the Republican president and Democratic authorities in California.
"Gavin Newsom stood by as Los Angeles experienced days of violent rioting... President Trump stepped in to maintain law and order," White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt tweeted on Monday.
"The United States must reverse the invasion unleashed by (former President) Joe Biden by allowing millions of undocumented immigrants into our country without any vetting," she added.
Meanwhile, the United Nations called for "containing the escalation." Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said, "We do not want to see further militarization of the situation and call on all parties at the local, state, and federal levels to work toward this goal."
Los Angeles, which has a large Latino community, has been witnessing protests following raids and dozens of arrests of people the US administration says are undocumented immigrants or gang members.
Opponents say Trump, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a key plank of his second term, deliberately inflamed tensions by deploying National Guard troops to California.
The National Guard, a reserve military, is typically called in during natural disasters such as the Los Angeles wildfires and sometimes during civil unrest, but generally with the approval of local officials.
"The National Guard is around with big guns, trying to intimidate Americans from exercising our First Amendment rights," protester Thomas Henning told AFP on Sunday.
On Monday morning, heavy police patrols roamed the largely deserted streets.
Throughout the night, a few protesters demonstrated, some throwing projectiles and fireworks, according to television coverage of the events.
On Monday, Trump blamed the unrest on what he described as "insurrectionists." Asked about the ongoing clashes in parts of America's second-largest city, he told reporters at the White House, "The people causing these problems are professional rioters and insurrectionists."
"Send in the troops," he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
At least three cars were set on fire and two others were vandalized as protesters passed through a restricted area in downtown Los Angeles.
An Australian journalist was injured in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by police in the city center, according to footage circulating on social media. Her employer later said she was unharmed.
The Los Angeles Police Department set up barriers to separate protesters from the National Guard troops deployed in full gear and announced at least 56 arrests over two days, while three officers suffered minor injuries.
San Francisco Police Department announced approximately 60 arrests on Sunday in similar protests in the Northern California city. When asked about deploying troops to contain the situation, Trump said, "You'll see how we enforce law and order very strongly."
In response to a question about invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the deployment of military forces to suppress protests, Trump said, "We're looking at troops everywhere. We won't let that happen in our country."
Approximately 500 Marines were officially placed on standby for deployment.
American activist Kenneth Ross, former president of Human Rights Watch, explained that this was the first time since 1965 that a US president had deployed the National Guard without a request from a state governor.
The move was criticized by Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who described it as a "dangerous escalation aimed at fomenting chaos."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the violence on Monday, while calling on the United States to respect the rights of migrants.
Sheinbaum urged Mexicans living in the United States to "act peacefully and not be provoked."
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