Federal forces will continue their immigration crackdown in an effort to “liberate” Los Angeles, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, pledged yesterday, pushing back at criticism that sending the US military into the city was unwarranted and illegal.
“We have more assets now today than we did yesterday. We had more yesterday than we did the day before, so we are only building momentum,” Noem said during a press conference in the city. “This is only going to continue and be increased until we have peace on the streets of Los Angeles.”
As Noem was speaking, A US Democratic Senator from California, Alex Padilla, was forcefully ejected from the room while trying to make himself heard – a move that was swiftly condemned by other Democrats.
Padilla’s office said once outside the room, the senator was pushed to the ground and handcuffed. He was later released.
President Donald Trump’s decision to dispatch troops to Los Angeles over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked a national debate about the use of the military in law enforcement operations on US soil.
Some 700 US Marines will be on the streets of the city today, the military has said, to support up to 4,000 National Guard troops in protecting federal property and federal agents, including on immigration raids.
Noem defended the use of National Guard troops and Marines alongside ICE agents and other federal personnel, saying Trump “has the right to utilise every authority that he has.”
The state of California is seeking a federal court order later today that would stop troops from “patrolling the streets of Los Angeles” and limit their role to protecting federal personnel and property. California’s lawsuit ultimately seeks to rescind Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard to the area.
In a court filing yesterday, California argued that the federal government has already violated the law by having National Guard troops assist ICE agents in immigration raids.
Noem said federal officers have arrested more than 1,500 people and that the department has “tens of thousands of targets” in the region.
She said the Internal Revenue Service was investigating whether there are financial links between the protests and political advocacy groups, something of which there has been little evidence.
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