Civil Rights, Business Leaders Condemn Military Deployment to Los Angeles Protests

President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in response to immigration raids and subsequent protests has drawn widespread condemnation from civil rights groups, local and state officials, and business and civic leaders. Critics, including the NAACP, National Urban League, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, describe the move as an illegal and authoritarian overreach of executive power that risks militarizing peaceful protests and targeting communities of color. Trump defended the deployment as necessary to prevent violence and property destruction, citing past wildfires in the city. Local authorities, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have condemned the military presence, with state officials filing a lawsuit to block it, emphasizing that such deployments require the governor's consent. Business and nonprofit leaders warned that the president’s actions threaten legal norms and could set a dangerous precedent for military use against domestic protests nationwide. The situation has intensified tensions around immigration enforcement and civil rights in Los Angeles, sparking ongoing clashes and curfews amid calls for defense of constitutional rights.