Perfect storm as Trump’s mass deportation drive collides with city of immigrants

BBC:

This weekend, tensions boiled over in the Los Angeles area after a week of immigration sweeps in the region sparked violent protests against the Trump administration and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

President Donald Trump’s decision to send 700 US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area to support the federal response to the unrest has opened a volatile chapter in his mass deportation campaign.

The location of the raids and subsequent protests – a liberal-leaning city in a state controlled by Democrats – also gave the White House an ideal public foil as it seeks to show progress on removing illegal immigrants and instilling law and order.

Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and prominent critic of the president, wrote on X that the troop deployment was a “deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President”.

The raids in America’s second-biggest city are unfolding against the backdrop of an aggressive push to raise arrest and deportation numbers, as the administration has been disappointed with its current pace.

ICE has ramped up its enforcement actions in recent weeks as it faces pressure to show progress on Trump’s signature policy initiative.

The agency arrested 2,200 people on 4 June, according to NBC News, a record for a single day.

The network reported that hundreds of those arrested were enrolled in a programme known as Alternative to Detention, which allows for the release and monitoring of individuals not deemed an immediate threat.