Los Angeles leaders impose curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue
United States President Donald Trump recently sent in the military to Los Angeles (LA) to suppress protests against his migration crackdown. Since returning to office in January, Trump has made many controversial decisions, among which is his crackdown on migration with an increase in raids by law enforcement on undocumented migrants in the U.S.
This move has sparked major protests across the country, especially in LA, where the LA county office estimates 8% of the population is undocumented. Additionally, many in the city know or live with undocumented immigrants.
Trump recently sent in National Guard troops, escalating tensions. The protests have been mixed with many peaceful instances of riots, which Trump has used as justification. Following the deployment of the National Guard, he sent the U.S. Marines later on. The U.S. military personnel in LA are officially there to stop the violence. However, unofficially, they have also been assisting immigration officials in carrying out deportations, a task they have traditionally not been used for. This marks a significant escalation by the Trump administration in its mass deportation campaign.
Trump sent in the military on the legal basis that there was an insurrection/rebellion in LA and this has led to a legal battle. The Trump administration also did not inform the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) that federal troops were coming to Los Angeles.
However, local and state officials have now imposed an overnight curfew, enforced by the LAPD. More than 400 people have been arrested in LA since protests first erupted on Friday, including 330 undocumented migrants and 157 individuals facing charges of assault or obstruction.
Incidents of police brutality have gone viral, with police on horseback trampling over a protester. There have been incidents of reporters being shot at by law enforcement. Police detained journalists from CNN. This comes a month after the U.S. had fallen 57th place in the Press Freedom Index.
In the face of this, however, it is worth remembering none of this is a first. There is a historical precedent. Trump’s crackdown on migrants echoes the actions of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in “Operation Wetback,” where millions of Mexicans, some legal, some naturalised, and even some native, were deported to Mexico using military-style techniques.
Police brutality has been an issue for decades in the U.S., which the world saw in full force during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, as cops beat protesters and journalists alike. That series of protests was triggered primarily by the murder of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, with a series of other incidents coming to light.
The Black Lives Matter movement came to being in 2013 following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who shot a black teenager, Trayvon Martin, as part of his neighbourhood watch duties.
The city of LA itself has faced riots before, including in 1992, when the police beat Rodney King, an African-American man. The incident was captured on camera and led to the worst riots the city has ever seen to this day.
It is worth remembering these historical examples because the scenes we see in LA should remind us of much deeper problems at play.
The crisis in LA has also presented an opportunity for California’s governor and 2028 Democratic nominee hopeful, Gavin Newsom. He has used the affair to call out Trump and build his name in preparation for the 2028 Democratic primary.
Newsom has been widely expected to run for office. Since Trump came to power, Newsom has hosted a podcast, inviting many right-wing figures and attempting to form a dialogue. This was criticised, however, by many Democrats and leftists who saw it as whitewashing the far right and being tone-deaf to the present moment.
Now, with the LA standoff, Newsom has an opportunity to stand up to Trump and show that he is willing to fight MAGA as much as his base wants.
In this pivotal moment, LA has become a battleground, both of American values and future political leadership.
What is behind the riots in Northern Ireland?
Violence has erupted in Northern Ireland again. The violence began in the town of Ballymena, where anti-immigrant riots have occurred for several days now.
During the first two nights of disorder, 32 police officers were injured, and six people were arrested. Ethnic minorities were targeted as part of a violent crackdown.
The unrest started after a peaceful protest on Monday was organised to support the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault. Two 14-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with attempted rape for the incident. Both boys were Romanian and had a translator in court.
On Monday night, the protest escalated to violence, with several houses having their windows smashed, and two suffering significant smoke damage. On Wednesday, Hundreds of protesters gathered again around the Clonvaon Terrace area, attacking riot police with petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks as officers with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them.
While the riots have mainly been concentrated in Ballymena, some violence has spread to surrounding towns and could potentially escalate.
This is the latest series of anti-migrant riots that have occurred recently in Britain and Ireland. Last year, after a mass stabbing in the English town of Southport, the UK suffered more than a week of anti-migrant riots. In November 2023, Dublin saw a massive anti-migrant riot after an Algerian man stabbed three young children.
Northern Ireland has seen violence for years but rarely against migrants. The region was a hotbed of violence for much of the 20th century. During a period known as the “the Troubles” from the 1960s to the 1990s, there were perpetual sectarian clashes between “Catholic” Republicans who wanted to join the Republic of Ireland and “Protestant” Unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement essentially brought about peace in the region and a relative end to mass violence; however, sporadic clashes continued.
However, anti-migrant violence is new. Northern Ireland has a foreign-born population of approximately 6%, with Ballymena being slightly higher at around the UK average of 16%. The most significant group in the town are Filipino migrants. However, as migration becomes the defining topic in political discourse, we have seen extremism and violence fester.
Northern Ireland’s political class have called for an end to the violence, with traditional enemies Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party putting out a joint statement. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also condemned the violence.
Foreigners living in Northern Ireland have described a sense of fear as the violence continues, with hundreds facing off against riot police on Wednesday night.
Today, we are in an era of widespread public discontent. Migration is one of the defining issues in Europe, but there is a broader sense of anger at the political class. This anger has propelled the far right to rise across the continent. The rise of the far right has thus normalised, encouraged, and nurtured this underlying hatred.
The violence in Northern Ireland reflects a trend of discontent across the West. As tensions rise, the Western political class must learn how to address this widespread anger. However long the riots in Northern Ireland last, democratic societies must learn to reckon with the widespread discontent we face. If we do not, the scenes of Ballymena will become all too familiar.
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