L.A. police chief: National Guard focused on immigration agenda, not helping with protests
L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell told "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday that the National Guard being deployed to Los Angeles in the midst of ICE protests was not because of President Trump saying the protests were more than McDonnell could handle.
"We don't need the National Guard, and they are not here to help us right now," McDonnell said Wednesday on "CBS Mornings." They are here to facilitate what the federal agencies are doing on the immigration front."
When asked if military assistance was brought in to assist with handling the protests, McDonnell said, "That's not our understanding. They have a different mission. They're working in support of the federal agencies that are working with ICE on civil immigration enforcement and criminal immigration enforcement."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a statewide address on Tuesday in the wake of immigration operations that sparked days of protests in Los Angeles and the deployment of hundreds of National Guard and U.S. Marines troops to the area by President Trump.
The speech came after Mayor Karen Bass' decision to implement a curfew in downtown Los Angeles after multiple nights of unrest and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed by the state in its lawsuit to block the additional deployment of troops. That curfew prompted dozens of arrests on Tuesday.
Protests have escalated into violent clashes, graffiti, looting, vandalism and debris. Mr. Trump declared that the National Guard would be deployed to Los Angeles, despite opposition from California politicians who said it was largely unnecessary. The deployment of 2,000 more National Guard troops and 700 Marines followed.
But McDonnell expressed concern about members of the military interacting with Los Angeles protesters.
"Anytime anybody comes into the city and we are not clear on what rules and responsibilities are, there's a concern. I worry for our own people."
