400 Arrested in Los Angeles as Immigration Protests Intensify; Trump Deploys More Troops Than in Iraq, Syria.
Nearly 400 individuals have been arrested in Los Angeles over the past week amid escalating protests against federal immigration raids. The unrest has prompted President Donald Trump to deploy over 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. Marines across the city—surpassing the number of American troops currently stationed in Iraq and Syria.
According to the Associated Press, while most arrests were related to curfew violations and failure to disperse, authorities also reported more serious charges, including assault on police officers and possession of illegal weapons such as a Molotov cocktail and a firearm.
Despite a citywide curfew, confrontations between protestors and law enforcement have continued. Police have been seen chasing demonstrators away from federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles. A particularly tense scene unfolded near City Hall, where police in riot gear, some on horseback, moved in on a group of demonstrators. Officers used batons and fired crowd-control projectiles. At least one woman was injured, bleeding from her hip after being struck by a round.
The White House has called the situation “unprecedented.” In a statement, the Trump administration defended the decision, saying, “These actions are necessary to restore order and maintain national security.” Critics, however, have raised concerns over the scale of the response, calling it excessive and potentially unconstitutional.
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing on Thursday to review the legality of the troop deployment and the use of force by law enforcement.
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