Donald Trump weighs invoking Insurrection Act in Los Angeles, warns protesters of ‘heavy force’ ahead of military parade

US President Donald Trump has said he may invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law that allows for active-duty military deployment on US soil, amid ongoing protests in Los Angeles over mass immigration arrests.

“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "Last night was terrible, and the night before that was terrible.”

The law, rooted in legislation from 1807, allows the President to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement.

Military presence escalates in LA

The Pentagon has confirmed that 700 US Marines are being deployed to Los Angeles, joining 2,000 National Guard troops mobilised over the weekend. The move comes despite direct opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats.

“We stated very publicly that it’s 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs... know that we’re not going anywhere,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a House hearing.

Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, acting comptroller, estimated the deployment will cost $134 million, primarily for travel, housing, and food.

Harsh rhetoric

Trump has used increasingly aggressive language to describe the protesters and the situation in California.

“IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” the president wrote in a Monday night post on Truth Social.

“If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now.”

He also warned that any protesters at Saturday’s military parade in Washington would be met with “heavy force.”

Governor Newsom slams deployment

Governor Newsom condemned Trump’s actions as politically motivated and authoritarian.

“US Marines shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American,” Newsom posted on X.

He added that California is capable of maintaining order and accused Trump of deliberately escalating tensions for political gain.

Protests continue amid immigration crackdown

Demonstrations erupted Friday after more than 40 people were arrested by immigration agents across Los Angeles. Activists gathered near a federal detention center demanding their release. Though mostly peaceful, some clashes have occurred.

In downtown LA's Little Tokyo on Monday night, protesters shot fireworks at officers, who responded with tear gas.

Trump has labeled the demonstrators as “professional agitators and insurrectionists.”

Trump allies go after Newsom

As political tensions flared, House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Trump’s rhetoric, lashing out at California’s governor.

“He [Newsom] ought to be tarred and feathered,” Johnson said during a press event.

Trump, meanwhile, has publicly called for Newsom’s arrest, further intensifying the constitutional showdown between state and federal authorities.

Rare move in US history

Invoking the Insurrection Act is considered one of the most extreme domestic powers available to a US President. Whether Trump will ultimately invoke it remains unclear, but his repeated threats and recent military deployments suggest the option is on the table as unrest continues.