Washington: US President Donald Trump has described the ongoing protests in Los Angeles as “a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and national sovereignty,” according to a report by Al Jazeera. Speaking at a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army at Fort Bragg on Tuesday (local time), Trump used the occasion to sharply criticise both the demonstrators and local California leaders.

“These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs,” Trump said during his address. He also revealed plans to work alongside US Senators to introduce legislation mandating a one-year prison sentence for individuals who burn the American flag.

Trump took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, labelling them “incompetent” and accusing them of funding “troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists” involved in the unrest. He further claimed that protest organisers were demanding the withdrawal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Los Angeles and an end to federal immigration law enforcement in the city.

“So sad what they’ve done to our country,” Trump remarked.

The protests erupted following a series of ICE raids across Los Angeles, which led to the arrest of dozens of undocumented migrants. In response to the growing unrest, the Department of Defence confirmed that an additional 2,000 California National Guard troops would be mobilised to assist federal law enforcement, bringing the total number deployed over the past week to 4,000.

“By order of the President, the Department of Defence is mobilising an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE and to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties,” said Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, in a statement shared on social media platform X.