Trump Limits Federal Involvement in Urban Protests
President Donald Trump has directed the Depament of Homeland Security (DHS) to refrain from intervening in protests occurring in cities led by Democratic officials, amid widespread demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
The “National Shutdown” initiative launched on Friday, encouraging paicipants across the country to skip work, school, and shopping as pa of a coordinated effo to demand an end to immigration raids. In Los Angeles, tensions boiled over into direct confrontations with law enforcement and federal personnel, culminating in protesters occupying an ICE facility. A comparable breach occurred in Eugene, Oregon, where demonstrators entered a federal building and declined to vacate the premises.
Trump’s Directive on Federal Response
In a statement posted on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump announced that he had informed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem of the policy shift. “Under no circumstances are we going to paicipate in various poorly run Democrat cities with regard to their protests and/or riots unless, and until, they ask us for help,” Trump wrote.
He emphasized that federal resources would prioritize securing government assets. “We will, however, guard, and very powerfully so, any and all federal buildings that are being attacked,” Trump added. “I have instructed ICE and/or Border Patrol to be very forceful in this protection of federal government propey.”
Trump stressed that state and local authorities bear the main duty for safeguarding both public and federal sites, positioning the federal government as a suppoive measure only when requested. “If local governments are unable to handle the insurrectionists, agitators, and anarchists, we will immediately go to the location where such help is requested and take care of the situation very easily and methodically,” he stated. He fuher noted that federal agencies, and potentially the military if required, would act decisively against threats to federal propey.
Underlying Causes of the Protests
The recent surge in demonstrations stems from public anger over the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot by federal agents during enforcement actions in Minneapolis earlier this week.
In response, U.S. House Democrats have demanded Noem’s dismissal, asseing that the ongoing violence requires immediate cessation. Trump countered by praising Noem’s performance, claiming the calls for her ouster arise solely because “she has done a really great job.”
