U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning about invoking the Insurrection Act in response to escalating protests in Los Angeles over recent immigration raids, threatening a nationwide military crackdown if demonstrations continue.
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Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump defended his controversial move to deploy 700 U.S. Marines and the California National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles, describing the protests as a form of "insurrection."
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” Trump told reporters. “Last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible. If we didn’t send in the National Guard quickly, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground.”
According to a report by Daily Mail, Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for inflaming the situation by opposing federal intervention.
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“He’s an incompetent man and an incompetent governor,” Trump said. “He’s doing a bad job and causing a lot of death.”
Trump’s rhetoric has sparked backlash, with critics accusing him of weaponizing federal authority against Democratic-run states. But the President insisted his actions are legal and necessary.
“These are paid insurrectionists or agitators or troublemakers,” Trump said. “They break up concrete from sidewalks and hand it out as weapons. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
The president cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, Section 12406, as the legal basis for potentially invoking the Insurrection Act. This law authorizes the president to deploy the National Guard when rebellion or invasion occurs.
However, under the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, the use of military force in civilian law enforcement is generally prohibited unless explicitly authorized by Congress or other legislation like the Insurrection Act.
California officials maintain that local police have the capability to manage the situation. But Trump remains adamant that without swift federal action, the violence would have spiraled out of control.
“You would have them all over the country,” he warned. “If we didn’t attack this one strongly, this would spread nationwide.”
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Trump is also reportedly deploying an additional 2,000 National Guard troops, alongside 700 Marines, to Los Angeles.
His remarks continue to stir political and legal debate, particularly as they blur the lines between federal military authority and states’ rights amid a tense national discourse on immigration enforcement and civil liberties.
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