Protests against Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies continued to spread across the United States on Wednesday, despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and the hard-right president’s threats to deploy “heavy force.”
Authorities in Los Angeles, where demonstrations first erupted last Friday, imposed an overnight curfew across the city centre. Police arrested around 25 people who defied the curfew, while officers patrolled near government buildings and shopkeepers boarded up windows as a precaution. By Wednesday, however, the area remained calm.
“It’s calm here at Ground Zero,” said protester Lynn Sturgis, 66, a retired school teacher. “Our city isn’t on fire—despite what our terrible leader is claiming.”
Roughly 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Trump ordered into the city patrolled key sites alongside immigration agents, confirmed Deputy Commanding General Scott Sherman. The remaining personnel, including 700 active-duty Marines, prepared for civil disturbance operations. The Pentagon estimated the deployment would cost taxpayers $134 million.
Peaceful protests ignited across the country after a sharp increase in immigration raids targeting undocumented migrants. In Los Angeles, protesters rallied for days, waving Mexican flags and holding vigils outside federal buildings. Despite sporadic violence—including the torching of self-driving taxis and stone-throwing—demonstrators largely remained peaceful.
Trump, who campaigned on hardline immigration promises, ordered the National Guard into California against Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections—marking the first time in decades a president has overruled a state on such grounds.
“If our troops hadn’t gone into Los Angeles, the city would be burning,” Trump claimed on social media. His administration doubled down, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declaring, “President Trump will never let mob rule take over America.”
Governor Newsom accused Trump of fuelling conflict for political gain. “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” he warned in a televised address. “California may be first, but it won’t end here.”
Protests intensified nationwide. Thousands marched in New York and Chicago on Tuesday evening. In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott deployed the state’s National Guard ahead of a protest in San Antonio. Organisers scheduled further demonstrations in Seattle, Las Vegas, and New York, culminating in a nationwide “No Kings” rally on Saturday—the same day Trump turns 79 and plans to attend a military parade in Washington.
The parade, which includes tanks and warplanes, officially celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Army’s founding. Trump, however, has threatened to meet any protests there with “very heavy force.”
Federal officials have portrayed the protests as a serious threat, justifying the military presence. On Tuesday, Trump described the demonstrations as a “full-blown assault on public order and sovereignty” driven by a “foreign enemy.”
Critics, including Democrats and civil rights groups, argue Trump is exaggerating the threat to justify a broader crackdown. Governor Newsom said Trump had gone beyond targeting dangerous criminals, with federal agents now arresting low-wage workers including dishwashers, gardeners, and seamstresses.
Footage obtained by AFP showed federal agents in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, forcibly stopping a vehicle, deploying a smoke device, and ordering a man from the car at gunpoint. Witnesses reported that his wife and children were traumatised by the incident.
Despite escalating threats, protesters across the country appear undeterred, standing firm against what they describe as an unjust and politically motivated immigration crackdown.