Kamala Harris calls National Guard deployment to Los Angeles protests ‘brutal’
Newsweek wrote: Former Vice President Joe Biden Harris defended the protests from her California residence on the third day of violent clashes between protesters opposing Trump’s immigration policies and police, describing them as “completely peaceful.”
The protests, which began in response to the operation of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration forces in the detention of immigrants, have now turned into a scene of continuous and intense clashes with rocks, Molotov cocktails, burning cars, and arrests in several parts of Los Angeles.
The Trump administration has vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, launching a series of blitzes against even those with proper documentation.
Trump announced Saturday afternoon that he was authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, citing violence against police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The latest clashes reflect a deepening rift between immigrant advocates and federal immigration policy, as Trump has made sweeping changes through executive orders and invoked a wartime law known as the Foreign Enemies Act of 1798 to expand his authority to deport immigrants.
The clashes began Friday with raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Paramount neighborhood and other areas of Los Angeles, and turned violent. At least 44 people were arrested in the incident.
Mexican flag becomes a powerful symbol in protests
Trump administration officials have labeled protesters waving the Mexican flag as rioters, according to the New York Times. But for many Mexican-American protesters, the flag is a symbol of pride in their heritage.