Trump steps in: 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to quell LA protests

President Donald Trump on Saturday, June 7, 2025, ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following a wave of large-scale protests.

The Guardian reports that the protests erupted in response to intensified immigration enforcement efforts in the city.

The protests, now in their second day, escalated into clashes between demonstrators and heavily armed police, who deployed teargas against bystanders and protesters alike.

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a sharp rebuke, accusing the federal government of attempting to “take over” the California National Guard.

He called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and warned it would “only escalate tensions.”

According to Newsom, there was no shortage of law enforcement on the ground and no operational justification for federalizing the Guard.

“They want a spectacle,” he said. “Don’t give them one.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the troop mobilization on social media.

He stated that it would begin “immediately” and threatening to deploy active-duty Marines if disturbances continued.

The unrest began on Friday as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted immigration raids in downtown Los Angeles.

Protests quickly erupted and expanded on Saturday to areas like Paramount, a predominantly Latino community southeast of the city.

Demonstrators gathered outside an industrial park where ICE operations were underway, leading to a tense hours-long standoff.

Border patrol agents in riot gear and gas masks stood guard as protesters shouted slogans like “ICE out of Paramount” and displayed signs reading “No Human Being is Illegal.”

Teargas was used on crowds, and protesters were seen kicking the canisters back at officers.

Several hundred protesters participated in the demonstrations, and a number of people sustained injuries from projectiles.

The U.S. attorney’s office reported more than a dozen arrests for obstructing immigration agents.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed it arrested two individuals for assaulting an officer and reported that a demonstrator threw a molotov cocktail.

Three deputies were injured, though only minorly.

The sheriff’s department clarified that it was involved only in crowd and traffic control, not federal operations.

By Saturday evening, the protests had largely diminished in Paramount.

However, it continued in nearby Compton, where confrontations between demonstrators and police resumed.

Protesters allegedly threw glass bottles at officers, prompting further use of teargas.

The Trump administration responded forcefully.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused California’s Democratic leadership of abandoning their responsibility to maintain public safety.

She reiterated the administration’s “zero tolerance policy” for violence against law enforcement.

She also confirmed that Trump had signed a memo federalizing the California National Guard under Title 10 authority.

This placed them under federal rather than state control.

The memo described the protests as impeding federal law enforcement and labeled them a “form of rebellion.”

Governor Newsom dismissed the move as unnecessary, emphasizing that local police were fully capable of maintaining order.

He announced that the California Highway Patrol would deploy additional officers to secure highways and maintain peace.

Newsom also blasted the federal government’s approach, accusing it of deliberately sowing chaos to justify a military-style crackdown.

He called Hegseth’s threat to send in Marines “deranged.”

Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, claiming that the federal government would “step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”

Earlier that day, Tom Homan, the administration’s immigration adviser, had already signaled the National Guard deployment on Fox News.

Homan said it was necessary to enforce immigration laws.

This is not the first time the National Guard has been deployed in Los Angeles; they were also activated during the 1992 riots.

However, unlike that instance, the current deployment was not requested by the governor .

It was rather imposed by the federal government during a politically charged immigration crackdown.

Mayor Bass expressed concern over the growing unrest.

He affirmed that while peaceful protest is a right, violence and destruction are not acceptable and that offenders would be held accountable.

Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons clarified that no actual immigration raids occurred within her city limits, noting that residents may have reacted to the visible presence of federal agents.

“They’re just frightened,” she said. “It’s no surprise that chaos would follow.”

On Friday, ICE conducted sweeping raids, arresting dozens at various locations including outside a clothing warehouse, Home Depot stores, and even a doughnut shop.

One high-profile arrest occurred during protests outside a federal detention facility in downtown L.A.

There, David Huerta, head of California’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU), was injured and detained.

From the hospital, Huerta released a statement declaring that his arrest symbolized a broader injustice, urging the community to resist the crackdown.

ICE reported 118 arrests during the operations, but did not respond to inquiries about their weekend activities.

California leaders reacted with outrage.

Mayor Bass called the federal tactics designed to “sow terror,” and Governor Newsom condemned the raids as reckless and inhumane.

He criticized the administration for pursuing mass arrests to meet arbitrary quotas, accusing Trump of spreading chaos and fear.

Newsom also condemned Huerta’s arrest, calling him a “respected leader” who should not be harmed for observing government actions.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back against criticism, accusing Democrats of using inflammatory rhetoric that endangers ICE agents.

DHS official Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Democratic leaders were glorifying rioters and fueling violence.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went further, labeling the protests an “insurrection” against U.S. law and sovereignty, escalating tensions even further with inflammatory rhetoric.