Trump threatens US with rarely used 1807 law which could have catastrophic effects on citizens
President Trump recently spoke about the protests happening across Los Angeles. These protests started because federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a series of raids and deportations in neighborhoods with large Latino populations. Many people in the city are angry and upset, and demonstrations have been happening throughout Los Angeles.
When Trump returned to the White House, he repeated his promise to crack down on illegal immigration. In response to the protests, which started peacefully but turned violent in some places with cars being burned and people getting arrested Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to the area last Saturday, June 7.
On social media, Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, saying they’re not doing their jobs. He claimed that if local leaders can’t get things under control, the federal government will step in and do it instead. He described the unrest as “riots and looting” and suggested it needs to be dealt with more forcefully.
Governor Newsom responded on social media, saying the deployment of troops by Trump was illegal and that the situation only got worse once Trump got involved. On Monday, June 9, Trump ordered another 2,000 National Guard troops to the city, and the Pentagon also sent 700 marines to help.
Trump also mentioned he might use an old law called the Insurrection Act of 1807. This law gives the president the power to use active-duty military forces inside the U.S. to control civil unrest. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, June 10, Trump said that if things get worse, he’s seriously considering using the law.
Currently, the troops in Los Angeles are there under a different federal law known as Title 10, which allows the National Guard to help in some situations. But the Insurrection Act goes further, giving the president broad powers to use military forces directly for law enforcement.
The Insurrection Act has only been used a few times in U.S. history. One example was after the Civil War when President Ulysses S. Grant used it to fight back against violent racism from the Ku Klux Klan. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower used it to make sure African-American students could attend a desegregated school in Arkansas. It was also used in 1992 during major riots in Los Angeles after four white police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, a Black man.
Now, as tensions grow in Los Angeles, many are watching closely to see whether Trump will take the rare and serious step of invoking this law again.
