U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles following escalating unrest linked to federal raids on undocumented migrants.
The decision comes amid growing tensions between protesters and federal agents, as well as criticism from California officials over what they describe as a harsh crackdown.
Trump stated the federal government would “step in and solve the problem” after the city witnessed a second consecutive day of violent clashes on Saturday. Tear gas was deployed to disperse crowds in the predominantly Latino Paramount district, where residents clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier in the day.
Authorities report that ICE operations have led to 118 arrests in Los Angeles this week, including 44 on Friday alone. California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned the raids as “cruel.”
Late Saturday night, Trump thanked the National Guard for a “job well done” in Los Angeles. The first wave of troops began arriving Sunday morning, staging near a detention center used for recently detained undocumented migrants.
Trump also took to his Truth Social platform to criticize California’s Democratic leadership, calling Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass “incompetent.” He added that protesters would no longer be permitted to wear masks.
Newsom responded by calling the federal government’s move “purposefully inflammatory” and warned it would “only escalate tensions.” According to Newsom’s office, the President invoked a provision allowing him to control the National Guard, bypassing the state governor’s usual authority.
Earlier, Trump had posted that if Newsom and Mayor Bass could not manage the situation, “then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added to the growing tension by suggesting that active-duty Marines could be mobilized if violence continued. He noted that troops at nearby Camp Pendleton were on “high alert.” Governor Newsom denounced the suggestion as “deranged behavior.”
Although the Paramount area was calmer late Saturday, clashes persisted. Outside a Home Depot, where initial protests erupted, tear gas and smoke filled the air as LA County sheriffs used flash bangs and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Residents reported that migrants were hiding inside businesses, too afraid to come outside. Paramount’s population is over 80% Hispanic.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) confirmed that two deputies sustained minor injuries during the unrest. Several individuals were detained, with at least one arrest made. The LASD also reported that a fire at a local mall was extinguished quickly, while fireworks, bottles, and other projectiles were thrown. At least one vehicle was burned, though the damage is still being assessed.
More demonstrations are anticipated throughout Los Angeles on Sunday.
In a press release, the White House said: “In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California.” It continued, stating that “California’s feckless Democrat leaders” had “abdicated their responsibility” to protect citizens, justifying President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum authorizing the National Guard deployment.
Tom Homan, Trump’s “border tsar,” who traveled to Los Angeles to oversee operations, issued a stern warning: “There will be zero tolerance of any violence or damage to private property.”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed that sentiment on X, writing, “You bring chaos, and we’ll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail.”
Governor Newsom urged residents to remain calm, stating the federal government “wants a spectacle” and warning people not to give them one through violent acts.
In a Friday statement, Newsom added: “Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also criticized ICE, accusing agents of “sowing terror” in the city.
Angelica Salas, head of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, voiced public frustration at a recent rally. “Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers. These are fathers. These are mothers. And this has to stop.”
