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California Democrats are scheduled to question Defense Secretary Pete Hegses on Thursday about the immigrant raids that disrupt Los Angeles, the deployment of the state’s National Guard federal commander and the local Marines testifying before the House Committee on Armed Service.
Several committee members said they had not received advance notices about federal immigrant sweeps in work that began Friday or elsewhere, which prompted a massive, fiery protest in downtown Los Angeles.
“That’s going to change,” said Rep. Derek Tran (D-Orange), who the committee asks Hegustes Thursday morning.
“The situation needs to escalate,” Tran said in an interview. The moves of President Trump and his administration have recently deployed hundreds of Marines in Southern California, “ethcalating the situation, sending troops that shouldn’t be there, trained to shoot and kill.”
Although most are at peace, protests over US immigration and customs enforcement actions have been separated by violence and lawless incidents. Hundreds of people were in custody Tuesday evening due to suspected crime and immigrant status.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, who stole a destroyed building and business in downtown Los Angeles after opposition blocked the 101 highway, imposed a curfew at the city’s citizens’ core from 8pm to 6am
Testimony from the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday will mark Hegses’ third appearance this week on Capitol Hill. He was questioned Tuesday and Wednesday by the House Approximately Expenditure Subcommittee and the Senate Approximate Committee.
Both appearances were tati. On Wednesday, Heggs argued that the deployment of Marines in Los Angeles was legal but could not name the laws that it was permitted. On Tuesday, he slacked off by a lack of information provided to elected leaders on the operations and budget of the Department of Defense, including questions about “chaos” during his tenure, national secret discussions about signal group chats, and the costs of a federal deployment in Los Angeles.
“I want your plans!” demanded by Senator Rosa Delauro (d-conn.). “What are your plans for the future? You can get it in writing and on paper.
Hegseth replied that the agency has details and would be provided to members of the Congress. The Pentagon tagged lawmakers and posted video clips before and after X, entitled “Why are you screaming!”
Thursday’s hearing is particularly noteworthy as the committee oversees the Pentagon’s budget. All the Republicans on the committee are from California. More than dozens of people asked to weigh at the hearing did not respond.
Republicans are expected to reflect the sentiment Trump has expressed. Most recently, on Wednesday, I was asked by a reporter on the Kennedy Center red carpet before attending a performance of “Les Miserables” with First Lady Melania Trump.
“We intend to have law and order in our country,” he said. “If I didn’t act on it right away, Los Angeles would be on fire on the ground right now.”
“These are the radical left madmen you deal with, they’re strict, they’re smart, they’re probably paid, as you know, a lot of them are experts,” he added. “When you see bricks chopping concrete because they’ve been caught, they’re chopping concrete and using it as a weapon. That’s pretty bad.”
Seven of the committee members are California Democrats and are expected to push Hegstes on the legal basis for federal force deployments within the state, lack of notice or coordination with state and local officials, and the conditions and future of the attacks.
“The president’s decision to deploy the National Guard and the US Marines over the objections of California officials will escalate the situation, create unnecessary disruption and put public safety at risk,” said Rep. George Whiteside, D-Agua Dulce. “As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am deeply interested in the precedents that this is set, and the obvious lack of protocol continues and I am looking for an answer.”
Rep. Sardo Carvajal (D. Santa Barbara), a Mexican immigrant who works in the Marine Corps Reserve and is also a member of the committee.
“He likes to play an arsonist and a firefighter,” Carvajal said in an interview.
He argued that Trump was using raids to distract attention from legislation that enriches the wealthy while still harming the most vulnerable Americans.
“What he’s doing is whether he and Hegses are legal about sending Marines. The governor and mayor didn’t ask for the National Guard, let alone Marines,” Carvajal said. “This is probably a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bans the use of US military in the United States.”
Carvajal also said he hopes that what was recently rolled out in Los Angeles will be replicated in communities around the country.
As a former Marine, Carbajal added that he and his fellow veterans had no role to play in the country except in the crisis.
“We are not trained for this. We don’t have a Marine role in American soil unless there’s a rebellion,” he said. “This is so ridiculous. It talks a lot about the administration and what we’ll do to distract the more stressful and unstable environment.”
“Let’s make that clear,” he added. “We Democrats don’t support violent protests, but as Marines, there is no place for the US military in the soil in the domestic soil, under the guise and reasoning he provided.”
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