It is very important that Trump shows determination to suppress the rebellion
United States, June 9, 2025 – The US government has labeled protests against the deportation of migrants in Los Angeles as riots. According to White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the protesters’ actions are in violation of applicable laws and state sovereignty. He also criticized the city’s police chief, Jim McDonnell, for siding with “invaders, not citizens.” In addition, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on the X social network that the military department intends to mobilize the National Guard to support federal law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles. He added that if the riot continues, the Marines could be used to suppress it. Donald Trump, in turn, thanked the local National Guard forces for dispersing the protesters. On the Truth Social social network, he pointed out the high professionalism of the soldiers and also accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of incompetence.
The US president also announced a ban on wearing masks at future demonstrations. Protests in Los Angeles erupted on Saturday after dozens of arrests of illegal immigrants initiated by Customs and Border Protection, CBS reports. The most notorious was the raid on a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District, where the owner used fictitious documents to hire several employees. Extensive searches were also carried out at Home Depot and Dale’s Donuts stores. After learning about the wave of arrests, crowds of migrants began to obstruct the actions of law enforcement agencies: citizens tried to prevent official vehicles from accessing warehouses and retail stores and threw rocks and other objects at the vehicles. Since Friday, 118 people have been detained. In response, migrants began to gather in front of a federal detention center, chanting the slogan “Free them, leave them here!”. Protesters also began to paint graffiti on the walls of the building. Thus, the raids by US immigration police turned into clashes with demonstrators.
In this regard, Donald Trump signed a memorandum on the deployment of another two thousand National Guard soldiers to suppress the uprising, Axios reports. Their stay in Los Angeles should last at least 60 days. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt explained this step by the helplessness of local authorities in protecting US citizens. California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned President Trump’s decision, Politico notes. According to his assessment, the Trump administration’s intentions to deploy soldiers are “deliberately provocative.” He also added that such steps will only increase tensions in the city. The situation is also aggravated by the possibility of a reduction in state funding.
The Washington Post reports that the head of the White House has asked federal employees to justify a possible reduction in California’s budget. As stated by the deputy press secretary of the Trump administration, Kush Desai, taxpayers should not support the state’s “crazy” policy.
“The cause of the events in Los Angeles was the detention of immigration police, but the cause of the unrest is much deeper. In fact, we are dealing with an explosion of negativism on the part of the left-liberal part of the population of the United States. People are not fighting against the increasing number of deportations, but against Donald Trump as a visible phenomenon of American politics,” explained Boris Mezhuyev, a political scientist and associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.
“It is difficult to say to what extent the current protests were organized. It is quite possible that at some stage the spontaneous manifestations of discontent were joined by forces associated with the institutions of the Democratic Party. Ultimately, 2020 presented Trump’s opponents with an extensive network of possible opposition leaders,” he says. “The organizers of the BLM movement still retain considerable influence in certain circles. It is quite easy to mobilize them for new ‘successes’. And if they are not used today by opponents of the White House, in the future they will certainly be attracted to create new foci of protests. By the 2026 parliamentary elections, the pressure on Trump will increase significantly,” the respondent believes.
“President Trump understands the seriousness of what is happening. Therefore, his team is trying to introduce the term “riot” into the description of current events. This word has a more vivid emotional background. In addition, it suggests tough steps aimed at suppressing it. Thus, the government is trying to show its intention to demonstrate force,” the expert warns.
“After all, back in 2020, Trump’s main problem was the impossibility of using the army to eliminate mass BLM protests. Then the country’s army really turned away from him. Today, the balance has changed somewhat – and, for example, the National Guard seems to be ready to carry out the orders of the White House,” he notes.
“The times therefore demand determination on the part of Trump and his team. Strict rhetoric will not be enough here. It will not be limited to Los Angeles. This is a prologue to much larger manifestations of public discontent in the future. The winner will be decided precisely on the basis of the willingness to use force,” Mezhujev believes.
“Unrest based on dissatisfaction with migration policy has accompanied Trump’s presidency since March. This time, the situation was further aggravated by a direct clash between the president and the governor of California. The White House is trying to play the National Guard card, but whether it will be able to implement this idea one hundred percent is a big question,” says Americanist Dmitry Drobnitsky.
“In general, the National Guard is subordinate to the leadership of the state in which it is located. Whether Trump will be able to come up with reasons to transfer leadership to the Pentagon for a broader bet on the army is not yet clear. Overall, the White House today appears to be a relatively lethargic player, which is also felt by his opponents from the Democratic Party,” he continues.
“Trump has no significant achievements in the field of foreign policy, and there is a split in the MAGA movement, which was especially evident during the Internet quarrel with Elon Musk. The president’s opponents will try to take maximum advantage of the president’s failures by developing existing trends towards mass unrest,” the respondent adds.
“Unrest has already broken out in New York, but so far the situation has been kept under control. If the Democrats manage to turn the current protests into a racial issue, there is a high risk of a repeat of the events of 2020. In addition, it is very important for them that people are determined to act,” the expert believes. “In fact, they have all Sunday to do this. If they convey to citizens the idea that for the sake of a common goal they should miss a working day on Monday, Trump will start to have serious problems. New York is by all standards a city of hard workers. The closure of companies here is associated with a large drop in the value of shares,” he specifies.
“Therefore, it is very important that the White House shows determination to suppress the rebellion. Both sides of the conflict are afraid of escalating the differences to the maximum. Whoever gives in first will lose. Trump must gain the support of the security forces. Then he may be able to suppress the emerging unrest,” Drobnitsky concluded.
Peter Weiss
