Politically managed violence in California?

The violence taking place these days in the suburbs of the American metropolis of Los Angeles between federal forces and citizens protesting against the expulsion of immigrants illegally in the US seems to be an open, political fight between local authorities in this area controlled by the Democratic Party and President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

It all started on Friday, June 6, after federal agents carried out several raids in California to detect people who do not have documents to stay in the US, and protesters gathered in front of a detention center in Los Angeles, in a sign of solidarity with immigrants, the press overseas claims. Subsequently, the protests expanded last weekend and violence also appeared: forced entries, burning of vehicles and attacking law enforcement with various objects.

As the protests escalated, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials described the events as "unlawful assemblies,” impossible to control, assemblies prohibited by U.S. criminal law, for which the police threatened the protesters with arrest. Furthermore, President Donald Trump lashed out on social media, accusing the protesters of being "professional agitators” and "insurrectionists,” and ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles to "restore order.” Later, the U.S. president ordered that, in addition to the initial forces, 700 Marines stationed at the military base in Twentynine Palms, California, participate in restoring order, according to Fox News and ABC News.

In response, Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta described the measure as "illegal, immoral, unconstitutional” and claimed the violation of Californian sovereignty, claiming that the military mobilization was not justified, as there was neither an invasion nor a rebellion that would trigger the activation of the insurrection law. Therefore, Californian officials have administratively attacked Donald Trump's decision, accusing him of violating the Constitution and abuse, according to US media.

Furthermore, the head of the Los Angeles Police Department, Jim McDonnell, said that the deployment of 700 Marines in the city represents a "logistical challenge” and "risks creating confusion” among citizens.

The conflict between the California state leadership and the White House has intensified after Governor Newsom publicly challenged Tom Homan, in charge of border security, urging him to arrest him, especially since Donald Trump said he would not mind if the governor was arrested. "Come after me! Arrest me! Let's get it over with!”, said Democrat Gavin Newsom, according to PBS News.

Fox News states that Tom Homan responded by saying that "no one is above the law,” but noted that for now there is no such intention. Regarding Trump's request, Gavin Newsom reacted on the X network with a post in which he shows that the American president's desire to arrest a governor is a clear step towards authoritarianism.

In parallel, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that, following the protests, law enforcement arrested over 100 people on Monday, whom they accuse of participating in "illegal assemblies", claiming that the violent demonstrators come from marginal groups, while the majority of participants were peaceful.

Karen Bass (Democrat), the mayor of Los Angeles, California, said, according to PBS News: "I hope the federal government will hear our call: Stop the raids. This is creating fear and chaos in our city, and it is unnecessary. And I hope we will be heard, because our city is trying to move forward, and I think the federal government should support us in moving forward. The deployment of the National Guard makes me feel like our city is being put to the test, where the federal government is stepping in and taking authority away from the state or local government. I don't think our city should be used for such an experiment. What we are seeing in Los Angeles is chaos caused by the Federal Government. People should exercise their right to protest. That is their First Amendment right. People should exercise that right peacefully. We do not want to play into the hands of the Government.”

Instead, Tom Homan said that military intervention was logical, planning to be used only in situations where the limit of peaceful protest is exceeded. The federal official accused Governor Gavin Newsom on CNN and Fox News of delaying the implementation of the measures ordered by the White House. Homan said, quoted by PBS News: "Border Patrol and ICE (Immigration Custom Enforcement) have made Los Angeles safer, but you haven't heard any news about it. All you are being told is a rethoric about ICE, which would be racist, Nazi and terrorist, and Governor Newsom somehow fuels this”.

Moreover, Tom Homan threatened that, if there were illegal actions by the California authorities, neither Newsom nor Karen Bass are untouchable, and can be held criminally liable.

Essentially, the two camps are the federal government, represented by Donald Trump and Tom Homan, who insist on restoring order, claiming that violent protests justify the intervention of the National Guard and the armed forces, and the leadership of the state of California, led by Newsom and Bonta, who are retaliating legally and politically, invoking state sovereignty, civil rights and the danger of moving towards authoritarianism.

With an increasing number of arrests, increasingly tense protests and threats of escalation, it remains to be seen how far the Trump Administration can go in its domestic interventions, without consulting the member states of the American confederation.