The United Nations has urged joint efforts to prevent the escalation of militarization in Los Angeles, following U.S. President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to the region to counter days of protests sparked by his immigration raids, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference, Haq emphasized the importance of joint efforts of local, state, and federal authorities to de-escalate the unrest in Los Angeles.
"We certainly hope that all parties on the ground will de-escalate the situation. We do not want to see any further militarization of this situation, and we encourage the parties at the local, state, and federal levels to work to do that," said Haq.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies raided several locations in southern California, where Los Angeles is located, last Friday, which then sparked mass protests.
Washington vowed on Saturday to continue the raids despite opposition from local communities and officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump took extraordinary action on Saturday by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in the Los Angeles region.
Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in Los Angeles over the weekend.
U.N. urges joint efforts to prevent further militarization in LA amid immigration protests
