Jamaican-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued a forceful statement condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy United States Marines to the streets of Los Angeles, labeling it an “authoritarian escalation unlike any before in American history.”
Thousands of people in LA have been protesting raids being conducted in the city by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for several days. In response, the U.S. government mobilized 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard members as tensions escalated.
In her statement, Clarke detailed her understanding of the events leading to the deployment. “Let’s understand the facts. This all started with peaceful protests against the inhumane kidnapping of our immigrant neighbors. The LAPD had largely contained this situation before it was exacerbated by National Guardsmen whom the president illegally seized control over. And now, under the pretense of crushing the very chaos he created, the president has ordered 700 active-duty Marines to engage in so-called law enforcement, which they have no legal or ethical right to conduct.”
The Congresswoman expressed grave concern that Los Angeles could be a precursor for similar actions across the nation. “We must recognize, and recognize quickly, that Los Angeles is only the beginning. In a matter of months, weeks, or even days, some contrived crisis may reach our cities. And then we’ll find the Armed Forces on our soil, with their guns trained on our people. That’s always been his goal – to ensure every American knows the fear our immigrant neighbors now feel.”
Clarke directly linked the President’s actions to a broader agenda, stating, “As he threatens to arrest a sitting governor and readies to brutalize protestors to feel like the strongman he never will be, we all must understand that Trump established a dangerous new precedent today. Time is running out to prepare for exactly what that means.”
Looking ahead, Representative Clarke affirmed the stance of Congressional Democrats. “Whatever lies ahead, Congressional Democrats will stand in solidarity with our California delegation, and we will support any efforts to oppose the president’s overreach.”
She also issued a call for continued peaceful demonstrations. “I urge all protestors to remain peaceful and to rise above Donald Trump’s desperation for chaos and confusion. He’s relying on the violence of protestors to justify his own. Do not give him what he wants.”
