The Implications of President Trump’s Insurrection Act Threat in Response to Immigration Raids Protests

US President Donald Trump has warned that he might use the Insurrection Act in Los Angeles due to protests against his immigration raids.

The president justified his choice to send 700 U.S. Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles, dismissing California Governor Gavin Newsom’s assertion that this move escalated tensions.

‘If there’s an insurrection, I would definitely invoke it. We’ll see. But I can tell you, last night was awful. The night before that was awful,’ Trump stated.

‘If we hadn’t deployed the National Guard quickly, right now, Los Angeles would be in flames,’ Trump told reporters during an unplanned meeting in the Oval Office with his team.

The president also issued a warning as critics complained that he is using the situation in California to assert control over Democratic-led states.

‘I can let the rest of the country know, when they do it, if they do it, they will face equal or greater force than we used here,’ Trump remarked.

‘This might be the first of many, or if we hadn’t dealt with this one very firmly, you would see them all over the country,’ Trump added.

He made these comments while sending another 2,000 National Guard troops, in addition to the 700 Marines, to LA.

He criticized individuals seen on video clashing with police during protests that began in response to ICE raids targeting illegal immigrants.

He consistently referred to ‘bad, sick people’ and ‘agitators’ whom he claimed were being paid.

‘In certain parts of Los Angeles, you could definitely call it an insurrection,’ Trump said. ‘It was terrible.”These are paid troublemakers. They receive money,’ he stated.

Trump’s choice of words is significant, particularly because the Insurrection Act provides legal grounds for deploying the military domestically in situations of rebellion or insurrection. 

He has suggested that such a situation may have occurred, while California officials maintain that local police have the authority to manage protests and instances of violence.

 Trump characterized some individuals as “paid insurrectionists” and expressed concern over people breaking concrete to use as weapons against law enforcement.

 He has been critical of Governor Newsom, labeling him as “incompetent” and claiming that his actions have led to numerous deaths.

 Trump described a scene where individuals were breaking up sidewalks to hand out pieces of stone to others, who then used them to attack police and soldiers. 

He emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that he had never witnessed such behavior before. His June 7 order references Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to deploy National Guard units during times of invasion or rebellion.

 However, the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally restricts the military from engaging in civilian law enforcement. In his public statements, Trump has referred to the protests in Los Angeles as an “invasion” and condemned the actions of what he called “violent, insurrectionist mobs.”