According to local media such as the LA Times, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will continue the operation every day for at least a month.
The crackdown has expanded to include communities and workplaces. “The Trump administration’s chaotic escalation is reckless,” Bath said Wednesday. “It’s not about protecting anyone’s safety, it’s about promoting fear and panic when we raid home depots and workplaces, separate parents and children, and deploy troops on our streets.” As protests intensify in response to the crackdown, L.A. Mayor Karen Bath said Wednesday that she has implemented a city curfew for a second day to prevent damage and looting.
The curfew was likewise applied from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.
“When we raid home depots and workplaces, separate parents and children, and deploy troops on our streets, we’re not trying to protect anyone’s safety, we’re trying to promote fear and panic,” Bath said. “If the crackdown continues and soldiers march through our streets, the curfew will continue.”
According to city officials, about 600 protesters have been arrested in LA alone since last weekend. In addition, 23 stores including Apple and Adidas were hit by looting. The federal government ordered the LA Defense Forces to support ICE agents’ arrest operation in downtown Seoul.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that “federal prosecutors will take over and take charge of criminal cases, which are usually handled by California authorities.”
Protesters looting stores will be directly prosecuted by federal prosecutors for robbery and face up to 20 years in prison, Bondi warned.
The White House argued that these measures are necessary to support overwhelmed immigration agents and maintain order.
The protests that started in Los Angeles on Thursday are spreading to other major cities including New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Protesters have clashed with police more frequently across the U.S. The previous day alone. More than 80 protesters were arrested in New York alone. The federal government warned of more widespread unrest. A war of words between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom also continued through social media.
Trump took credit for preventing L.A. from burning to the ground.
Newsom is drawing attention on social media by producing a meme (popular content) that puts the voice of the villainous Emperor Palpatine in the famous movie series Star Wars on Trump’s recent remarks.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
