President Donald Trump says he will “liberate Los Angeles” after a weekend of violence that saw cars torched, storefronts smashed, and officers pelted with rocks during protests over immigration raids.Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi to “take all action necessary” to end what he called “migrant riots” and “insurrectionist mobs.”“I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant Departments and Agencies, to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots,” said Trump. “Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted to Truth Social in the afternoon that, "'If they spit, we will hit.' This is a statement from the President of the United States concerning the catastrophic Gavin Newscum inspired Riots going on in Los Angeles. The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others. These Patriots are told to accept this, it's just the way life runs. But not in the Trump Administration. IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!".Trump also confirmed he had already deployed National Guard troops to the city.Unrest began on June 7 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, assisted by other federal agencies, conducted several high-profile raids, including one outside a Home Depot, prompting crowds to block traffic and throw objects at the ICE officers. By Sunday afternoon, riot police faced fireworks, pieces of concrete, and burning dumpsters as skirmishes spread from Pico-Union to downtown.Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell warned that commercial grade fireworks aimed at officers “can kill you.” .LAPD declared an unlawful assembly downtown on Sunday night and said dozens of people had been arrested on assault and vandalism charges.The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for a suspect seen on video throwing rocks that injured an officer and damaged government vehicles.California’s Democratic leadership condemned both the violence and Trump’s rhetoric. Governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of “manufacturing chaos and violence” by sending soldiers into a tense situation. .Mayor Karen Bass said the city needed “calm heads,” not “political stunts.”“Governor Gavin Newscum and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots,” said Trump. “These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!”.One video on social media showed a man shouting “Allahu Akbar” at National Guard troops. .Another video captured masked youths looting stores on live television..By late Sunday, the National Guard were at key intersections, and federal agents in tactical gear patrolled Union Station.Homeland Security said deportation operations would “continue without interruption.”.Officials did not provide a firm arrest total or injury count. City crews spent the night dousing hotspots and towing charred vehicles off Interstate 10.While calm had yet to return, White House aides insisted the show of force would work. “The mission is to protect law-abiding residents and re-establish the rule of law,” a senior administration official told reporters.Trump said he will stay in “hour-by-hour” contact with commanders until Los Angeles is, in his words, “fully secured and liberated.”
