Police ordered citizens to disperse from downtown Los Angeles after fresh rioting with cars set on fire and security forces firing tear gas at protesters, in the wake of Donald Trump's dispatch of National Guard troops to America's second-largest city.
The protests in Los Angeles, which is home to a large Latino population, erupted on Friday, June 5, sparked by immigration raids that resulted in the arrest of dozens of individuals who authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.
Critics say the US president, who has made curbing illegal migration a mainstay of his second term, has deliberately stoked tensions by sending in the California National Guard, a standby military usually overseen by the state's governor
Demonstrators told AFP that the purpose of the troopers did not appear to be to maintain order, and one called them "intimidation tactics."
"The National Guard with loaded magazines and big guns standing around trying to intimidate Americans into not exercising their First Amendment rights," protester Thomas Henning said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump's order a "serious violation of state sovereignty" and demanded that the president rescind the order and "take back control of California."
He also urged protesters to remain peaceful, warning that those who provoke violence will be arrested.
"Don't take Trump's bait," he wrote on social media platform X.
By late evening on Sunday, June 8, authorities had declared downtown Los Angeles an "unlawful assembly" location. Local media showed an increased police presence covering the mostly deserted streets in various areas.
A few protesters remained scattered, with some throwing projectiles and fireworks, according to a local aerial television report.
Trump called the protesters "rioters" and demanded authorities "ARREST THE PEOPLE WITH FACE MASKS, NOW!"
"BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!!," he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
At least three Waymo self-driving cars were set on fire as demonstrators swarmed downtown Los Angeles, and local law enforcement used tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse protesters.
An Australian reporter was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by a police officer while he was live on television. Her employer 9News reported that she was unharmed.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers set up containment lines some distance from the federal buildings, preventing contact between the angry demonstrators and the dozens of armed National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team who had gathered wearing helmets and camouflage clothing.
Law enforcement officials arrested at least 56 people in two days, and three officers suffered minor injuries, the LAPD said.
San Francisco police said about 60 people were arrested at similar protests in the Northern California city. | BGNES