Los Angeles enters a quasi-military control state, and the governor of California has been "relieved of command"! The Secretary of Defense has directly ordered the National Guard to enter the city center for battle readiness!
Early Sunday morning (June 8), the first batch of soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the California National Guard had already arrived in downtown Los Angeles and gathered near the courthouse building next to City Hall.
This is the federal government's further response measure after US President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Saturday, addressing the unrest caused by immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
The day before, large-scale protest activities erupted in multiple areas of Los Angeles County. Demonstrators clashed fiercely with federal law enforcement officers, and scenes of tear gas, flashbangs, and rubber bullets being fired broke out at the scene.
Some protesters shouted "ICE (Immigration Bureau) get out of Los Angeles" and attempted to storm detention centers. In order to quell the situation, Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard personnel to Los Angeles.
The US Northern Command confirmed that about 300 soldiers have been assigned to three key locations in the Los Angeles area, mainly tasked with "protecting federal property and personnel safety." It is worth noting that this deployment did not invoke the Insurrection Act, so the National Guard remains subject to the Posse Comitatus Act and cannot directly participate in law enforcement actions.
Nevertheless, video footage shows that soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade have already entered the urban area carrying heavy equipment and gathered at the entrance of the Los Angeles City Hall, beginning to distribute live ammunition, awaiting further deployment instructions. This marks that Los Angeles is gradually entering a de facto "quasi-military control" state.
However, California Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Bass both strongly opposed this move. Newsom criticized the federal government's action as "deliberate provocation," which will only exacerbate tensions, and sarcastically remarked: "When you posted on social media, the National Guard hadn't even reached Los Angeles."
This incident also triggered significant adjustments in command authority.
The California National Guard, originally under the control of the governor, has been federalized, with command transferred to the US Northern Command, directly led by Defense Secretary Harker. This is the first time since the 21st century that the National Guard has been federalized, with an initial duration set for 60 days.
As June 14 approaches, Trump's "birthday parade," it is widely suspected outside whether this deployment is limited to quelling unrest or has other political intentions. Los Angeles, the largest city on the US West Coast, stands at the crossroads of turmoil and order, with the development of the situation drawing high attention.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834416699009034/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views only.