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Los Angeles is on fire — both literally and figuratively. Chaos has erupted in the streets, with violent riots, mass looting, and officers coming under attack.
President Donald Trump has now dropped a bombshell: he is “certainly” considering invoking a centuries-old 1807 law to crack down on the unrest.
Los Angeles has descended into chaos.
What began as peaceful protests in Latino neighborhoods quickly spiraled into fiery unrest as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents intensified their raids across the city. Residents took to the streets demanding answers, but instead were met with a military response — ordered directly by Donald Trump.
Over the weekend, the former president deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area. And when the situation didn’t cool down, he doubled down.
By Monday night (June 9), another 2,000 troops had been sent in. And if that wasn’t enough, the Pentagon added 700 U.S. Marines to the operation.
But Trump wasn’t done.
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” he warned during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Used before
He was referring to the Insurrection Act of 1807, a rarely used but powerful law that allows presidents to deploy active-duty military forces within American cities during periods of extreme unrest. The last time it was used in Los Angeles was during the 1992 riots following the Rodney King verdict.
President Ulysses S. Grant used the Insurrection Act in the aftermath of the Civil War to combat a surge in racial violence, particularly from the Ku Klux Klan, which was terrorizing Black communities across the South.
Years later, in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower invoked the same law to enforce school desegregation. He sent in the U.S. Army to ensure that nine African American students could safely attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas after the state’s governor refused to comply with a federal order to integrate the school.
And now, Trump is threatening to use it again.
“What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public order, and national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country,” he told troops at Fort Bragg on Tuesday.
“This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.”
Historically, the U.S. government has been reluctant to use military force within its own borders — especially against American citizens. If Trump decides to invoke the Insurrection Act, it remains unclear what legal challenges or constitutional obstacles he could face.
Trump hits back after Gavin Newsom’s speech
California Governor Gavin Newsom has strongly opposed Trump’s military response.
“I have formally requested that the Trump Administration rescind its unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command.”
“We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while diverting resources from where they are actually needed.”
In a passionate televised address, Newsom accused Trump of using force as political theater.
Speaking solemnly in front of the U.S. and California flags, he did not mince words about the broader implications of Trump’s actions.
“California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,” he warned.
His message became even more urgent as he addressed the growing unrest and federal intervention.
“Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived.”
Tensions are rising in several cities
But Trump, in typical fashion, fired back on Truth Social:
“If Governor Gavin Newscum [sic], of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
With National Guard troops now tasked with protecting not only federal buildings but also ICE agents during immigration raids, tensions are rising rapidly — not just in Los Angeles, but across the country. Major cities including New York, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin are also seeing similar protests erupt.
