Protests against Trump: Texas plans to deploy National Guard

Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott wants to deploy National Guard troops to various locations "to maintain peace and order," as he made clear on his social media channel. Peaceful protest is legal, but "harming persons or property is illegal and will result in arrest," emphasized the fellow member of U.S. President Donald Trump . The National Guard will "use every tool and strategy to assist the police in maintaining order."

Previously, demonstrations against Trump's harsh immigration and deportation policies had spread from Los Angeles, California, to other US cities, including New York and Chicago. So-called solidarity protests also took place in the Texas cities of Austin and Dallas. There were isolated clashes with police and arrests. The US president had promised during his election campaign to launch the largest deportation program in the country's history.

The Texas daily newspaper "San Antonio Express-News," citing a spokesman for the governor, reports that National Guard troops are on standby in anticipation of planned rallies. Protests are scheduled to take place in San Antonio this Wednesday and Saturday.

In the metropolis of Los Angeles, citizens have been demonstrating since Friday of last week against Trump's hardline stance and the deportation raids by the US immigration authority ICE. According to eyewitnesses, masked and armed ICE officers sometimes forcibly dragged people into cars to deport them. Hundreds of thousands of migrants live in Los Angeles who were previously tolerated but lack valid papers.

The protests also resulted in riots, and security forces arrested several hundred people.

Against the wishes of the state's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, Trump then ordered the deployment of the National Guard to the West Coast city. The government in Washington mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines from the regular U.S. armed forces.

The soldiers are arriving gradually and, according to Trump, are to remain in Los Angeles until the danger has passed. The decision is legally controversial, and the state of California is suing .

Los Angeles: Curfew for one square kilometer

On Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass imposed a nighttime curfew on downtown Los Angeles. She said she expects it to remain in place for several nights. She complained that there had been looting and graffiti-related property damage. Bass warned that anyone who violated the regulations would be arrested.

Bass also emphasized that only a fraction of the entire city area was affected by the stay-at-home order. "Some images of the protests and violence make it appear as if this is a citywide crisis. That is not the case," the mayor continued. Regarding Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard, Bass reiterated that the deployment of troops was unnecessary.

According to Los Angeles police, more arrests were made Tuesday evening. 25 people were detained for possible violations of the current curfew, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a police spokesperson.

Trump and Newsom publicly insult each other

The political power struggle between Trump and Newsom is heating up. During an appearance in North Carolina, the president accused the California governor and Mayor Bass of complicity with radical demonstrators in Los Angeles. Trump claimed, without providing any evidence, that the two had "paid troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists."

Newsom, in turn, lashed out at the US president in an address to the public on Tuesday evening. He called Trump a dictator and his actions in Los Angeles and across the country an attack on American democracy.

se/AR (dpa, ap, afp, rtr)