President Donald Trump said on the 8th that the protests illegal immigration in Los Angeles was not a civil war, but that he deployed the military to maintain order and that more troops may be deployed in the future.
According to the White House press corps, President Trump met with reporters at Morristown Airport in New Jersey and answered a question about whether he was prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act in the Los Angeles area, saying, “That depends on whether there is a civil war.” When asked if he thought there was a civil war, he said, “No, but there are violent people, and we will not let them get away with it.”
In the United States, the military cannot be used to enforce the laws of a civilian government, but the Insurrection Act authorizes the president to use the military domestically only under certain conditions, such as insurrection. Progressives in the United States have raised concerns that President Trump could use this law to crack down on illegal immigrants.
When asked how he would define insurrection, President Trump said, “You just must really look at what’s happening on the ground. We were watching very closely last night in Los Angeles. There was tremendous violence there.” When asked whether he would send in the military without invoking the Insurrection Act, he said, “We’re going to have troops everywhere.”
After speaking with reporters, he posted on the social media platform TruthSocial that “a violent and insurgent mob is coming and attacking our federal agents in an attempt to stop our (illegal immigrant) deportation operations.” He then said that he was directing the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Attorney General to “take whatever action is necessary to liberate LA from this immigrant invasion and end these immigrant protests,” adding that “order will be restored, illegal immigrants will be deported, and LA will be free.”
Earlier, the day before, President Trump had granted the Secretary of Defense control of the National Guard, which normally follows the direction of the governor, under Title 10, United States Code, Section 12406, instead of the Insurrection Act, and directed that 2,000 National Guard troops be deployed to the protest area to protect government functions and property. In addition, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton near LA are ready to support the National Guard deployed to LA.
Regarding the Marines’ deployment, President Trump told reporters, “We’ll see what’s needed. We’ll send whatever we need to maintain law and order.” The New York Times reported that the military authorities were unclear on the rules of engagement for the National Guard sent to LA under President Trump’s order.
The NYT reported that the National Guard was tasked with protecting federal assets and personnel in the protest area and that they were informed of the rules of engagement just before their deployment, but the Department of Defense is not disclosing the details. Meanwhile, President Trump is scheduled to hold a meeting with the military authorities at Camp David, the presidential retreat, on that day.
“We’re going to have meetings with a variety of people on very important topics. Camp David is probably better secure than anywhere else,” Trump told reporters at the airport. He added, “We’re going to have meetings with a lot of people, including generals and admirals.”
According to the White House, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be heading to Camp David.