Trump warns LA protesters of force as they clash with police over ICE raids: 'If they spit, we will hit'

MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY: President Donald Trump denounced the people protesting the ICE raids on workplaces for spitting on law enforcement officers as he ordered the deployment of around 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Saturday, June 7.

The POTUS spoke to reporters in NJ before boarding Air Force One and vowed consequences for protesters who spit on law enforcement officers, Mediaite reported.

Donald Trump denounces protestors' tactics of spitting on law enforcement officers

Donald Trump said, "When they spit at people, you know, they spit, that’s their new thing. They spit and worse. You know what they throw at ’em, right? And when that happens, I have a little statement: They spit, we hit! And I told them — nobody’s going to spit on our police officers."

"Nobody’s gonna spit on the military, which they do as a common thing. They get up to them this far away, and then they start spitting in their faces. If that happens, they get hit very hard," Trump added.

Moreover, the POTUS said he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act following the protests. "It depends on whether there’s an insurrection," Trump said.

When Trump was asked how he would define an insurrection, he replied, "You really just have to look at the site. You have to see what’s happening. Last night in Los Angeles, we watched it very closely. There was a lot of violence there. There was a lot of violence, and it could have gotten much worse."

Donald Trump orders 2,000 National Guard to LA to deal with protests

Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to deal with unrest over raids on undocumented migrants, according to BBC.

He said that the federal government would "step in and solve the problem" after LA saw a second day of clashes on Saturday, June 7, between protesters and federal agents. 

Interestingly, 118 arrests were made in LA last week with the help of ICE operations, including 44 on Friday, June 6.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned the raids as "cruel."

The first group of troops began arriving in LA on Sunday morning, staging outside a detention centre where illegal immigrants are taken once detained.

Moreover, LA county sheriffs fired flash bangs and tear gas every few minutes to clear protesters away. Neighbours and protesters said that the migrants were locked inside local businesses, afraid to come out.

Notably, Paramount's population is more than 80 percent Hispanic.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) said in a statement on Sunday that two deputies had suffered minor injuries, according to BBC.

Moreover, many individuals were detained with at least one arrested, the statement added.

A White House press release stated, "In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California."

The statement added that "California's feckless Democrat leaders" had "abdicated their responsibility" to protect citizens, which is "why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen."