In response to the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Amnesty International USA Executive Director, Paul O’Brien, made the following statement:
“President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against recent ICE raids is deeply alarming. This shows the Trump administration is ready to do whatever it takes – including deploying military forces – to target and punish those who speak out in defense of human rights.
“This is not about protecting communities, this is about crushing dissent and instilling fear. Armed troops do not belong in our neighborhoods. This militarization of immigration enforcement and in response to people exercising their right to freedom of expression must have no place in a country that claims to value justice and human rights.
“Community members in Los Angeles took to the streets to stand up for their immigrant friends and neighbors, as armed, masked ICE agents raided their communities, arresting the California President of SEIU, and without so much as providing a warrant.
“Bringing in the National Guard, without request from local authorities, exacerbates already widespread human rights violations taking place under the Trump administration, including unlawful arrests, mass detention and mass deportation, expulsions to dangerous prisons in other countries, the suppression of free expression, family separations, and the denial of due process.
“We know all about the dangers of using military personnel and federal law enforcement to police protests. The violent clearing of Lafayette Park in June 2020 is a chilling reminder of the consequences when troops and federal agents untrained in protest policing are unleashed on civilians. Military personnel are not trained in crowd control or de-escalation and should not be used for these purposes.
ICE raids rooted in discrimination
“The ICE raids themselves are rooted in discrimination, racial profiling, and the systematic violation of rights. People have the right to protest these injustices. Crushing that right with military force is antithetical to human rights.
“The U.S. government must do better. We urgently call on authorities to de-escalate, end the deployment of the National Guard, and respect the right to peaceful protest. We also call upon the Trump Administration to end these mass deportations that are tearing communities apart. The real solution lies in building a fair, humane, and rights-respecting immigration system, one that upholds the dignity of all people, ensures safety, and strengthens communities.”
Header image: Over 300 immigrant rights activists rally and protest multiple immigration sweeps across Los Angeles by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents today in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on June 5, 2025. Photo by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.
