President Donald Trump has deployed the military against protesters in Los Angeles and ignored federal court orders — moves that have prompted concern about the condition of democratic institutions in the United States.
The deployment of the National Guard during the protests in Los Angeles is highly controversialImage: Eric Thayer/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Tensions remain high in Los Angeles, California, where thousands of people have been protesting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. A curfew imposed by the city's mayor on Tuesday night brought some calm, but there are no signs of de-escalation.
After deploying the National Guard, US President Donald Trump has now ordered the deployment of some 700 Marines — active-duty troops known for their rapid response and elite combat capabilities.
According to a spokeswoman for the United States Northern Command, US troops will help protect federal buildings and personnel, including ICE agents.
Since Friday, demonstrators have occupied the streets in Los Angeles, protesting ICE raids targeting individuals lacking proper immigration documentation. In some cases, masked ICE agents reportedly arrested people on the street. The crackdown reflects the Trump administration's hardline stance on immigration — and now the military has been called in by the president to assist.
Presidential powers and the Insurrection Act
Normally, the president cannot unilaterally deploy the National Guard within a US state; governors must authorize such deployments. California Governor Gavin Newsom has expressly rejected the need for the National Guard and has sued the Trump administration.
Downtown LA under curfew after days of protests
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However, under the Insurrection Act of 1807, the president has the authority to deploy military forces without the governor's consent in cases of rebellion or civil unrest. Trump's decision to invoke that authority is considered highly unusual, given the importance placed on states' rights in the US federal system.
Governor Newsom has accused Trump of abusing executive power and warned that his actions threaten democratic norms. "California may be first, but it clearly won't end here," Newsom said, "Other states are next. Democracy is next."
To justify the deportations, the Trump administration cited the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, arguing it allows for the removal of nationals from "hostile nations," without affording them a right to trial. The Trump administration claims those deported were affiliated with the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.
When US states, White House clash over National Guard deployments
US President Donald Trump has deployed armed forces to quell ongoing unrest in Los Angeles. This isn't the first time states have clashed with the federal government over the deployment of the National Guard.
Image: Eric Thayer/AP/picture alliance
Anti-ICE riots
In Los Angeles, California, clashes between police and protesters have continued since Friday, following multiple detentions by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Police have reportedly used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets in an effort to disperse crowds. Protesters have responded by hurling rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at law enforcement.
Image: Apu Gomes/Getty Images
Protesters demand rights for all
The ICE arrests are part of the Republican administration's renewed immigration enforcement efforts, which critics say disproportionately target people of Latin American origin. Demonstrators have been calling for the release of those detained. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum defended migrants living north of the border on Sunday, saying "They are not criminals. They are good men and women!"
Image: Eric Thayer/AP/dpa/picture alliance
ICE arrests surge
Since Donald Trump returned to office in January, ICE arrests have increased significantly, recently surpassing 100,000, according to a CBS report last week. The surge has sparked nationwide backlash. Several dozen demonstrators protesting the raids were arrested over the weekend in Los Angeles.
Image: Barbara Davidson/REUTERS
Australian reporter struck by rubber bullet
As clashes intensified over the weekend, the situation drew international attention. Australian 9News journalist Lauren Tomasi was struck in the leg on Sunday by a nonlethal rubber bullet fired by police while she was reporting live from downtown Los Angeles. Speaking on Monday, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed.
Image: 9news Australia/AAP/dpa/picture alliance
Deployment sparks legal battle with California
Trump ordered the deployment of some 2,000 National Guard troops to the city on Saturday to support ICE officers and, according to the White House, to "address the lawlessness." But the legal basis for the deployment has been disputed. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the move "purposefully inflammatory" and announced Monday the state planned to file a lawsuit against the administration.
Image: Frederic J. Brown/AFP
Natural disasters and civil unrest
National Guard troops are typically deployed to manage natural disasters and, occasionally, civil unrest. However, the Insurrection Act grants the president the authority to deploy military forces to assist state authorities with law enforcement in times of rebellion or unrest. The reserve military, or National Guard, is almost always mobilized with the consent of state and local authorities.
Image: Daniel Cole/REUTERS
Mobilizing troops
The deployment of troops by the Trump administration marks the first time in decades that a president has moved to mobilize the National Guard in this manner, without a governor's consent or explicit request. DW takes a look at past notable invocations of the Insurrection Act.
Image: Eric Thayer/AP/picture alliance
1957: Little Rock Central High School
In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the entire Arkansas National Guard and sent troops to escort nine Black students into Little Rock Central High School. This came after Governor Orval Faubus used the state guard to block the students from entering the racially segregated school.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
1965: Selma, Alabama
Following police attacks against civil rights demonstrators in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson bypassed Alabama's segregationist governor to send National Guard state troops into federal service in support of civil rights demonstrators marching from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., the march became a landmark event in the American Civil Rights Movement.
Image: UPI/picture alliance
1968: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
The assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured above) on April 4, 1968, triggered civil unrest and rioting in over 100 US cities. In response, President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act in order to restore order in the capital, Washington D.C. This allowed federal troops to be deployed to quell unrest.
Image: akg-images/picture alliance
1992: Rodney King riots
In 1992, President George H. W. Bush invoked the Insurrection Act and ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to Los Angeles after days of unrest sparked by the acquittal of police officers who were videotaped beating Black motorist Rodney King. The violence left 60 people dead, and more than 2,300 injured according to the Bill of Rights Institute.
Image: Nick Ut/AP&picture alliance
2020: George Floyd protests
In June 2020, during his first term as president, Trump considered invoking the Insurrection Act in response to nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis when an officer knelt on his neck during an arrest. In many affected states, like Minnesota (pictured above), governors activated National Guard troops to manage the unrest.
Image: Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images
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In the US system, the judiciary is one of three co-equal branches of government, alongside the executive and legislative branches. The balance among them is foundational to US democracy — critics say Trump is eroding that balance. Six of the nation's nine Supreme Court justices are conservatives, three were appointed by Trump.
Will the 'principles of democracy' win out in the US?
What about the legislative branch? Trump has largely bypassed Congress since returning to office in January, issuing 161 executive orders as of June 10 — more than any president in a similar time frame since World War II. His orders, which do not require House of Representatives or Senate approval, have had sweeping effects, from LGBTQ+ rights to trade policy.
"Trump will definitely go down in history as the one who took executive power to its limits," wrote Patrick Malone, a professor of public administration and policy at American University in an email to DW. Malone questioned the legality of the president's mass firing of federal employees in the name of efficiency, for instance.
"The question of legality of what this president has done are going to be in the courts for years to come," Malone said. He warned that the US democratic institutions are under serious pressure. One underlying issue, he said, is that many US laws were written for a nation vastly different from the one that exists today.
But Malone is optimistic: "Institutions are generally quite difficult to topple. Hopefully, the principles of democracy will ultimately prevail."
This article was published in German and translated by Jon Shelton.
