What began as protests has long since become a domestic state of emergency. On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Police Department enforced the downtown curfew imposed by Mayor Karen Bass for the first time with full force. Minutes after it took effect, the first demonstrators were arrested. Mounted officers patrolled the streets while so-called crowd-control munitions were used to disperse the crowd. The scene resembled a military operation more than a civic measure.
Behind plexiglass shields, National Guard troops stood in formation – armed but initially passive. The order to escalate apparently came from higher up. President Trump had personally ordered an additional 2,000 guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles – against the explicit will of Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Bass. Newsom spoke of a “military dragnet” over his city and accused Trump of deliberately stirring unrest.
The New Face of Emergency Rule
Armed guardsmen are now accompanying ICE agents during arrests. What began as the protection of federal buildings has, in the eyes of many Californians, become a creeping militarization of public space. Newsom filed for an emergency injunction in federal court to stop the deployment – but until the hearing on Thursday, the measures can continue.
Trump selbst hält sich mit martialischer Rhetorik nicht zurück. In einer Rede in Fort Bragg bezeichnete er Demonstrierende als „Tiere“ und „fremde Feinde“. Zugleich ließ er durchblicken, dass er den Insurrection Act Trump, meanwhile, is not holding back with martial rhetoric. In a speech at Fort Bragg, he referred to demonstrators as “animals” and “foreign enemies.” He also hinted that he might invoke the Insurrection Act – an emergency law that allows the president to deploy the military domestically to suppress uprisings. It would be another step in a direction that many in California view with deep concern.
From Protest Movement to Police Confrontation
What began as a response to large-scale ICE raids has now grown into a widespread uprising – not only in Los Angeles, but also in cities like Dallas, Austin, Chicago, and New York. In L.A. itself, a major freeway was blocked, cars were set on fire. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades. On Tuesday alone, 197 people were arrested – including 67 for occupying Highway 101.
And although most of the protests have been peaceful, the federal government’s rhetoric remains radical. The presence of ICE agents remains high – even at schools, gas stations, and hardware stores. Parents in Los Angeles have been asked to attend graduation ceremonies via livestream – out of fear of immigration raids.
Mayor Bass declared a local state of emergency. “We’ve reached a tipping point,” she said – 23 businesses had been looted. The nighttime curfew she imposed applies initially to the downtown area but could be expanded. Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended the measures as necessary to maintain public order. He also confirmed that among those arrested were not only demonstrators but individuals charged with serious offenses – including attempted murder for throwing a Molotov cocktail.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, announced that the domestic deployment of troops will be further expanded. The Department of Defense reported that the current cost of the National Guard and Marine deployment stands at 134 million dollars.
What is happening in Los Angeles could soon become a model for the rest of the country. Or, as Governor Newsom put it, “California may be the first target – but it will not be the last. Other states will follow.”
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