TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
June 8 , 2025
Los Angeles - President Donald J. Trump, in coordination with officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has deployed a contingent of individuals previously convicted or charged for their involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection to Los Angeles in an alleged effort to quell ongoing civil unrest.
The controversial decision was announced Saturday afternoon in a press release from Trump’s newly reactivated political action organization, America First Defense Corps, which claimed the mobilization was “a bold, patriotic response to chaos gripping the streets of L.A.”
City officials, including Mayor Bass, condemned the violence while defending residents’ right to protest. “We’re working to restore peace and justice. What we do not need is vigilante intervention or political theater,” Bass said in a press conference Saturday.
The so-called “volunteer peacekeepers,” according to DHS documents obtained by The Times, include at least 47 individuals with known affiliations to far-right militias and organizations implicated in the January 6 attack. All were pardoned by Trump.
Though no current federal law prohibits former rioters from joining such operations, legal experts and civil rights groups have raised alarms.
“This is not only unprecedented, it’s dangerous,” said Professor Lisa Tran, a constitutional law expert at UCLA. “You’re taking individuals who tried to undermine democracy and placing them in a volatile situation with the blessing of the President and questionable DHS support.”
The backlash was swift. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency executive order blocking any unauthorized paramilitary or vigilante activity in the state. “California will not be a proving ground for extremist politics,” he said in a televised address.
Congressional leaders from both parties have called for immediate hearings. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated, “This action undermines the rule of law and weaponizes past criminal behavior for partisan purposes.”
Meanwhile, Trump defended the decision in a Truth Social post, writing: “These brave patriots know what it means to stand up to radical mobs. The Fake News doesn’t want you to see that America is taking back its streets!”
The acting DHS Secretary confirmed that the department had facilitated logistics for the group, but insisted it was a “limited deployment” and part of a “pilot public-private partnership.”
Critics within DHS, speaking anonymously, described it as a “massive breach of protocol.” One whistleblower claimed the operation bypassed normal chain-of-command procedures and received direct approval from Trump allies within the agency.
As of Saturday afternoon, at least 15 of the “peacekeeper” units were reportedly staged outside key intersections in downtown Los Angeles, wearing matching tactical vests and insignias. LAPD officials have denied coordination with the group and said any unauthorized enforcement actions will be prosecuted.
Civil rights organizations including the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center are preparing legal challenges and have called for federal oversight.
“This crosses every line imaginable,” said ACLU Legal Director Beth Morgan. “We’re witnessing the militarization of extremism under the pretense of restoring order.”
As tensions escalate, eyes across the nation are now fixed on Los Angeles — and on the explosive implications of deploying former insurrectionists in the name of public safety.
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