In an extremely funny confluence of lies and evidence, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass first claimed that the California National Guard was not going to be deployed to fight the Los Angeles riots and then just hours later, it came out that the National Guard troopers had already been deployed in the city.
The situation was precipitated by a Friday, June 6, announcement from President Trump that he was federalizing the California National Guard to take on the rioters who are trying to block ICE from arresting illegal aliens. He began, “Numerous incidents of violence and disorder have recently occurred and threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws.”
Continuing, he explained that the rioters are rebelling against the United States in trying to block ICE from carrying out its operations. He said, “In addition, violent protests threaten the security of and significant damage to Federal immigration detention facilities and other Federal property. To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
Then, getting to the announcement about federalizing them, he said, “In light of these incidents and credible threats of continued violence, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard under 10 U.S.C. 12406 to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations.”
Trump went on to announce that thousands of the troopers would be deployed into the city. That led LA Mayor Karen Bass to, on the morning of Sunday, June 8, declare that the National Guard hadn’t been deployed into the city. She said, “I want to thank LAPD and local law enforcement for their work tonight. I also want to thank [Gavin Newsom] for his support. Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles.”
Then, nearly immediately, it came out that the National Guard had already been arriving in Los Angeles and started deploying as of Sunday morning, more or less as the mayor was declaring that the National Guard wasn’t in the city and deploying to put down the riots.
In fact, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported on Sunday morning that “We’ve already seen a large, growing National Guard presence here in downtown LA.” For example, several armored guard vehicles and a smattering of National Guard troopers kitted out in riot gear could be seen on Alameda Street, preparing to deal with riots. Watch ABC 7’s report here:
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So, funnily, just hours after she claimed they weren’t deployed, Mayor Bass had to say that the troopers were deployed and that it was “chaotic escalation.” She wrote, “This morning, President Trump deployed the National Guard into Los Angeles. Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation.”
She added, “The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it’s felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk. This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protestors to remain peaceful. I’ve been in touch this morning with immigrant rights leaders as well as local law enforcement officials. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.”
Featured image credit: By Karen Bass For Mayor – https://www.flickr.com/photos/194058440@N03/52034114048/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119329831