Trump Considers Invoking Insurrection Act Amid Protests Against Immigration Raids

President Donald Trump has warned he may invoke the Insurrection Act in Los Angeles following protests sparked by federal immigration raids, escalating tensions between the White House and California leadership.

Defending his decision to deploy 700 U.S. Marines and California National Guard troops, Trump dismissed Governor Gavin Newsom’s criticism that the military presence worsened the situation. “If there’s an insurrection, I’d certainly invoke it. We’ll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible,” Trump said during an unplanned Oval Office media appearance.

He claimed swift action prevented disaster: “If we didn’t send in the National Guard quickly, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground.”

Facing pushback from critics who accused him of using the situation to assert federal power in Democratic-led states, Trump issued a broader warning: “If this spreads elsewhere, they’ll be met with equal or greater force. This may be the first of many.”

The president is now deploying an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. His remarks came as footage circulated showing confrontations between protesters and law enforcement—protests initially triggered by ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants.

Trump repeatedly labeled the demonstrators as “paid troublemakers,” “agitators,” and “bad, sick people,” suggesting that some were being compensated to incite violence. He pointed to scenes of people breaking up sidewalks to hurl chunks of concrete at police and military vehicles. “They’re not doing demolition work,” Trump said. “They’re weaponizing the streets.”

Trump accused Gov. Newsom of incompetence, blaming him for violence and deaths. “He’s doing a terrible job,” Trump said.

Trump’s potential use of the Insurrection Act—backed by his June 7 order citing Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code—would allow military deployment in the case of rebellion, insurrection, or when law enforcement is unable to maintain order. However, this move would test the limits of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits active-duty military from engaging in domestic law enforcement roles.

Describing the unrest as an “invasion,” Trump reiterated that he’s confronting what he called “violent, insurrectionist mobs” head-on.