National Guard Troops Arrive in Los Angeles to Quell Immigration Raids on Trump Orders
Crowds of protesters were gathering again Sunday in central Los Angeles, waving flags, yelling, spraying graffiti and confronting law enforcement as 2,000 National Guard troops – ordered by President Trump in a Saturday night memorandum – arrived in Los Angeles to shut down the mass demonstrations against federal immigration raids in the area.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the arrival of Guardsmen, saying their presence “will only escalate tensions.” Police in riot gear clashed with protesters on Saturday night, and L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said some agitators were openly attacking officers.
Luna said midday Saturday he would soon meet with federal law enforcement partners to see how to best handle the still-escalating situation, as Guardsmen and police officers with batons, rifles and tear gas advanced on the growing demonstration lines. “None of us want anyone to be injured or hurt,” Luna said.
The night before, tear gas filled the air in downtown L.A., affecting dozens of people – including a local CBS reporter.
“The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle,” Newsom tweeted. “Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
Trump deployed the guardsmen as demonstrations opposing ICE operations continued to roil the state, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Saturday evening.
“In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,” Leavitt said. “That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Defense Department was immediately mobilizing to assist federal officers in Los Angeles and, “if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.”
Newsom said the federal government was moving to “take over the California National Guard,” calling the move purposefully inflammatory and saying it will “only escalate tensions.”
“L.A. authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” Newsom said on X. “We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.”
Weekend protests included the city of Paramount on Saturday, and Friday demonstrations in Los Angeles’ city limits where immigration enforcement operations were being carried out. Protesters also clashed with authorities at the Edward Roybal Federal Building in downtown L.A., where hundreds of people were being detained.
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