‘Will liberate Los Angeles,’ Trump defends troop deployment amid protests; says city has become ‘trash heap’ | Watch

During a tribute to soldiers on Tuesday, President Donald Trump defended his decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amid tensions over his immigration policy saying, ‘LA has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap’

“Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap with entire neighbourhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks...As the entire world can now see, uncontrolled migration leads to chaos, dysfunction, and disorder.”

"What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags."

“Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,” he goes on to add.

Trump's visit to Fort Bragg, home to some 50,000 active-duty soldiers, followed his move to deploy 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in an escalating response to street protests over his immigration policies. Defending the move, Trump said the troop deployment was essential to safeguard federal personnel and property.

Meanwhile, California’s Democratic-led administration has filed a lawsuit to halt the move, denouncing it as an overreach of authority and a needless provocation.

Street demonstrations have been underway since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff's deputies. Los Angeles officials have said the unrest has been limited to a few downtown blocks and that the majority of demonstrators are protesting peacefully in support of immigrants.

In North Carolina, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a planned event marking the US Army's 250th anniversary. They watched soldiers perform a special forces assault and operate a long-range missile launcher.

Speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump warned against demonstrators at that parade, saying "they're going to be met with very big force." He made no distinction between peaceful and violent protesters. The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have said there are no credible threats to the event.

(With inputs from agencies)