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Protesters have been donning masks to conceal their identities from security forces and shield themselves from tear gas and other irritants used by police.
Trump on Sunday deployed California National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump has directed law enforcement to arrest the protesters who are wearing masks in Los Angeles, where tensions escalated on Sunday amid large-scale demonstrations against immigration enforcement.
Trump announced a ban on masks at protests, commending the National Guard for their efforts in quelling unrest in the city. The move comes after two days of violent clashes and protests in Los Angeles, sparked by federal immigration raids.
“ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW,” the US President said in a post on his Social Truth platform.
Donald Trump earlier announced that “From now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests,” instructing law enforcement to arrest those wearing them. However, the federal government’s authority to enforce such a decree is questionable.
Protesters have been donning masks to conceal their identities from security forces and shield themselves from tear gas and other irritants used by police. Trump’s move has sparked controversy, with many arguing that mask bans infringe upon free speech and disability rights.
Trump deployed California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against his immigration enforcement, despite Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections that the move was unlawful.
National Guard troops were stationed around federal government buildings, as demonstrators torched cars and scuffled with security forces in Los Angeles–America’s second-biggest city– over federal immigration raids.
The protests started on Friday after federal raids were conducted in a city with has a large Latino population. Los Angeles police declared several rallies to be “unlawful assemblies”, alleging that some protesters threw concrete, bottles and other objects at police.
Videos from the scene showed Alphabet’s Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening, and locals were fleeing the area. Local law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flashbangs to control the crowd.
“Arrests are being initiated,” the police department wrote in a post on social media. Los Angeles police deployed officers on horseback to attempt to control the crowds.
Meanwhile, Governor Newsom blamed Trump’s threat to deploy Marines to the demonstrations in Los Angeles for the “escalating situation”. In a post on X, Newsom said Trump’s move came “despite protests already being managed by the LAPD”. “Los Angeles: Remain peaceful. Don’t fall into the trap that extremists are hoping for,” he added.
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