More: The United States is both a nation and a coalition of 50 states. This is something that's easy to forget when looking at the USA from overseas, but it is fundamental: city and state governments matter, and so do the choices they make. States' rights " the freedom of each State to make its own choices, except where the Constitution says something is a federal matter " are usually a fundamental rallying call for Republicans. And those states' rights usually mean that the federal government doesn't send troops into a state unless they have been requested.
And yet Trump has ordered at least 2,000 National Guardsmen into the California city after three days of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. ICE had deployed tear gas and non-lethal munitions against the protests, but in a statement late on Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement confirming the protests "remained peaceful" and "concluded without incident". While some turbulence on the streets escalated in the evening, LA's police also stressed they were in a "heightened readiness posture" and "ready to ensure the continued safety of communities".
LA's police, in short, are saying the protests are largely peaceful and they are able to handle them.
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But the blazing hypocrisy of Trump and his top officials should stand out, too. One of Trump's first actions on regaining the presidency in January was pardoning thousands of insurrectionists who participated in a violent invasion of Congress, including those who assaulted police. Now, mere months later, Trump claims to be so outraged by peaceful protests, which are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, that he is deploying troops against them.
This risks a full-scale collapse of the USA's already crumbling political norms. Trump has pardoned his own supporters for violent insurrection, even as he deploys armed soldiers against his political opponents. This is the behaviour of dictators, not democratic leaders. It is a sign of a society reaching its breaking point.
It is hoped that cooler heads prevail and manage to pull this particular crisis back from the brink. The people who actually make up the National Guard are not fanatics: they signed up to help their nation during crises, not to be a private army for a dictatorial president. California's government and senior law enforcement officials will be trying to find ways to deploy troops that don't risk escalating the situation. As always happens when Donald Trump is president, people will be working quietly to try to save America from the man leading it.
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The citizens of Los Angeles were protesting against Trump's unlawful use of the federal agency ICE to deport their friends and neighbours. For that, they are being called rebels against the state and facing its military force. America surely cannot withstand three and a half more years of this.
