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Trump ready to invoke the Insurrection Act: ‘In Los Angeles it is insurrection, I will respond forcefully’

President announces possibility of using extraordinary powers under 1807 law against unrest in California. Thousands of soldiers already mobilised. Clashes and arrests in several cities. Newsom: ‘This is an abuse of power, we will stop it in court’

US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to use the Insurrection Act, the 1807 federal law that allows the head of the White House to employ the armed forces to quell domestic unrest. The announcement came today, Tuesday 10 June, in response to clashes that have erupted in recent days in Los Angeles, where demonstrations against the administration’s immigration policies have turned violent with law enforcement.

‘If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly do it,’ Trump said, calling the last two days in the Californian city ‘terrible’.

Expulsion operations and armed repression

The president confirmed the nationwide extension of mass expulsions, which had already begun in Los Angeles, and warned that any protests would be met with “equal or greater force”. During Saturday’s military parade in Washington, marking the US military’s 250th anniversary and its 79th birthday, those protesting ‘will be met with great force,’ Trump said.

Growing unrest and accusations against the press

The protests, which began in Los Angeles, have spread to several cities including San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Seattle and Dallas. In San Francisco, at least 150 people were arrested. In Los Angeles, according to CNN and NBC, police forces used stun grenades and rubber bullets against protesters, among whom Mexican and American flags were visible upside down as a sign of dissent. A CNN crew was stopped and escorted out of the area.

Military mobilisation and institutional tension

Already 1,700 National Guard members and 700 Marines have been deployed in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, officially assigned to protect buildings and federal agents. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he was taking legal action to block Trump’s action:

“Deploying trained military on the streets is a threat to democracy. The president is acting like a tyrant,” he said.

Newsom also denied receiving a phone call from Trump, as claimed by the president himself: ‘No call, not even a text message. He is irresponsible and unhinged’.

The legal bases: Insurrection Act and US Code

So far Trump has justified the deployment with an article in the US code authorising the use of the National Guard in the event of “danger of rebellion”. But the order signed on Saturday openly mentions “rebellion” and “obstruction of law enforcement”, opening the door to the activation of the Insurrection Act.

During his first term, Trump had repeatedly threatened to use this provision, particularly after the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement, but never did so. Now, according to analysts and legal experts, the move could have profound constitutional implications, particularly in terms of clashing with state authorities claiming full management of law and order.

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