Los Angeles immigration protests: Donald Trump praises National Guard; bans masks in 'radical left' protests

US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the National Guard for its role in handling immigration protests in Los Angeles, a city in US state of California. He said he had federalized the troops because local and state officials could not manage the situation. “Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. However, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said there were no National Guard troops in the city. "Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles," she wrote on X. In his post, Trump said he had ordered the deployment after state and local authorities were "unable to handle the task" of controlling the protests in Southern California. The US president also said masks would not be allowed at protests. "MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why???" he posted. Earlier, Trump had ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The White House said the move was aimed at stopping what it called "lawlessness" after protests broke out over immigration enforcement raids. "President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She blamed California's Democratic leaders for not controlling the situation. "The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs."Also read: Trump admin steps in; deploys 2,000 soldiers as protests against ICE raids escalate in LA- top developments By taking federal control of California’s state military, Trump sent troops into Los Angeles, where they could be in conflict with protesters. California governor Gavin Newsom said the move was "purposefully inflammatory."In the United States, the National Guard is usually called by a state's governor, but Donald Trump has used a provision that allows him to take control himself, Newsom's office was quoted as saying by the AP news agency. The action came after two days of protests, during which federal agents used flash-bang grenades and tear gas on crowds. Protesters were reacting to the arrests of migrants in a city with a large Latino population. As per officials quoted by the New York Times, the raids are part of a new phase of the Trump administration’s immigration plan, which will focus more on workplaces.