Donald Trump deploys National Guard to Los Angeles. What’s happening there?
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Donald Trump deploys National Guard to Los Angeles. What’s happening there?
US President Donald Trump on Saturday deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The move came even as California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the US president’s decision. Tensions flared in Los Angeles following a series of high-profile immigration raids carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sparking protests, clashes, and arrests across the city. On Friday, armed and masked ICE agents conducted coordinated workplace raids in different parts of LA. The operations drew swift backlash, with angry crowds gathering and triggering hours-long standoffs with authorities. A car was set alight at a busy intersection, while another showed a man on a motorbike throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles.
The White House said that at least 2,000 National Guard troops will be deployed for 60 days to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester” in the city.
On X, United States secretary of defence Pete Hegseth also warned that Marines will be mobilised “if violence continues.”
Trump’s move came even as California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the US president’s decision, calling it “purposefully inflammatory”.
A Los Angeles Sheriff Department officer prepares to shoot a tear gas bomb at protesters during an immigration protest on June 7, 2025, in Paramount, California.(AFP)
“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 wrote on X.
What’s happening in Los Angeles?
Tensions flared in Los Angeles following a series of high-profile immigration raids carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sparking protests, clashes, and arrests across the city.
Also Read | Los Angeles protests: Trump govt says ‘insurrectionists carrying foreign flags’
On Friday, armed and masked ICE agents conducted coordinated workplace raids in different parts of Los Angeles. The operations drew swift backlash, with angry crowds gathering and triggering hours-long standoffs with authorities.
Law enforcement clashes with demonstrators during a protest following federal immigration operations in the Compton neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, on June 7, 2025.(AFP)
Protesters also assembled outside federal buildings in downtown LA, including a detention center. According to the Associated Press, local police declared an unlawful assembly and began arresting demonstrators.
Additional demonstrations also broke out Saturday in Paramount, just south of the city. Protesters carried signs and chanted slogans like “ICE out of LA!” as federal agents used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowd. Protesters were also seen waving the Mexican flag.
Also Read | Los Angeles riots: Shocking videos show anti-ICE protests wreaking havoc on the streets
Videos shared on social also showed a car set alight at a busy intersection, while another showed a man on a motorbike throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles, reported AFP news agency.
ICE said it has arrested an average of 2,000 undocumented immigrants per day nationwide this week, including 118 individuals in the Los Angeles area, according to Bloomberg. The agency has vowed to intensify enforcement as part of former President Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history.