U.S. Vice President JD Vance Defends Continued Troop Deployment in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, The Gulf Observer: U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday defended the ongoing deployment of thousands of federal troops in Los Angeles, despite a recent period of relative calm following protests over immigration raids.
Speaking to journalists during his visit to the city, Vance emphasized that the presence of approximately 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. Marines, ordered by President Donald Trump earlier this month, remains essential. The forces were deployed to protect federal property and personnel amid unrest triggered by immigration enforcement actions.
“Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what’s going on here because they’re worried that it’s going to flare back up,” Vance said, according to foreign media reports cited by News.Az.
His remarks came a day after a federal appeals court upheld President Trump’s authority to command the California National Guard, a decision overriding the usual jurisdiction of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
State and local officials, including Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have sharply criticized the federal response, arguing that the deployment escalated tensions that local law enforcement was capable of managing.
While demonstrations have largely remained peaceful and concentrated in a small area of the city, some incidents of violence and vandalism were reported.
“If you let violent rioters burn Great American Cities to the ground, then, of course, we’re going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect,” Vance asserted, adding that the administration would not hesitate to redeploy troops if deemed necessary.
Vance also accused Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, and Mayor Bass of encouraging the protests.
Mayor Bass responded strongly during a news conference on Friday, accusing the Vice President of misrepresenting the situation.
“How dare you say that city officials encourage violence. We kept the peace,” Bass said. “You know that the federal officials that were here protected a federal building — they were not involved in crowd control.”
Bass emphasized that the disturbances were limited in scope, affecting only a small fraction of Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is a city that is 500 square miles and any of the disruption that took place occurred in about 2 square miles,” she stated, accusing Vance of provoking division and undermining local authority.
The confrontation underscores ongoing tensions between federal and state authorities over the use of military force in domestic matters and the broader handling of civil unrest in the United States.
