Speaking to reporters, Trump appeared to suggest that protesters who spit or throw objects at law enforcement will face consequences, saying “they spit, we hit.”

Trump said that spitting on people was protesters’ “new thing,” adding, “Nobody’s going to spit on our police officers, nobody’s going to spit on our military, which they do, is a common thing. They get up to him this far away, and then they start spitting in their face. That happens, they get hit very hard.”

Asked by a reporter whether he plans to invoke the Insurrection Act, Trump said, “Depends on whether or not there’s an insurrection,” adding that he did not think there currently was one but “you have violent people, and we’re not going to let them get away with it.”

In summary Gov. Gavin Newsom and other leading California Democrats criticized President Trump’s deployment of National Guard soldiers in Los Angeles, calling it an unnecessary provocation.

Hundreds of California National Guard soldiers are deployed in downtown Los Angeles in an escalation of the Trump administration’s rolling immigration enforcement action throughout Southern California.

Their deployment comes over the objections of California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who say that local law enforcement agencies are more than capable of keeping the peace in the city.

“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 social media Saturday night.

This morning, rifle-toting National Guard soldiers patrolled a federal building downtown. They also brought heavy military vehicles. A protest is expected to take place later today, but so far the scene around the building has been calm.

The deployment followed two days of unrest after immigration sweeps downtown and in the city of Paramount. In one incident, officers arrested David Huerta, the leader of a California janitors’ union, who was protesting a raid. He remains in custody.

Trump’s order deploying the troops cited “incidents of violence and disorder” following immigration enforcement actions and the Border Patrol on social media has called attention to an incident in which someone threw rocks at their vehicles in Paramount, breaking a window.

After the raids, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement published a list of what they called “the worst of the worst” offenders caught in the immigration raids. The release also accused “California politicians and rioters” of “defending heinous illegal alien criminals.”

Officers with the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department clash with protesters in Compton on June 7, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters

The escalation could be a turning point for a state where Democratic politicians had started the year fairly quiet on Trump’s immigration crackdowns, at least compared to his first time in office. With the state facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, lawmakers and Newsom were antsy about losing federal funding, and Newsom especially was depending on a relatively harmonious relationship with the federal government to secure aid for Los Angeles wildfire recovery.

But California Democrats have since struck a more defiant tone.

Last week they advanced numerous bills to discourage warrantless ICE visits to hospitals, schools and shelters. Over the weekend, they condemned the raids and sided with protesters, especially after federal agents arrested prominent union president Huerta on Friday during a clash with protesters outside an immigration raid of a garment company’s warehouse.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, called the raids “an authoritarian assault on our immigrant communities.”

“We will not allow (Los Angeles) to become a staging ground for political terror,” he wrote in a statement.

His counterpart in the state Senate, Healdsburg Democrat Mike McGuire, said the National Guard deployment “reeks of fascism.”

Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California – which includes Los Angeles – told KNBC-TV that immigration enforcement agents were under duress while conducting raids in Paramount and Compton.

“You have thousands of people forming and gathering in crowds, rioting, attacking our agents, throwing rocks, throwing eggs, throwing Molotov cocktails,” Essayli told the news station.

Marissa Nuncio, director of the Los Angeles-based Garment Worker Center, said garment workers were reeling after immigration enforcement agents detained 20 of them in a raid at Ambiance Apparel in the city’s Fashion District on Friday. The amassing of troops downtown made her members worry about a second raid.

Federal immigration authorities face off against protesters during an ICE raid at Ambience Apparel in Downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters

The Garment Worker Center held a know-your-rights seminar on Saturday, one day after the raid.

Attendees “wanted to know, how can we stop this,” Nuncio said. “How can we resist these attacks on our community? They wanted to know if it’s safe to go to work, to go to church, to go to the clinic.”

Garment workers are particularly vulnerable because they are often employed in illegal production facilities that pop up and then disappear overnight. They’re paid by the piece, usually 5 cents to 12 cents per piece of clothing, a controversial practice that has drawn scrutiny from the Legislature.

Their weekly take-home pay is about $300, or $5.50 per hour, paid in cash.

“We feel the best we can do is inform workers of what’s going on,” Nuncio said, “and remind them that they have power in their rights.”

CalMatters reporter Joe Garcia contributed to this story.

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Central Division reported on Sunday that the National Guard is in the city and has set up at federal buildings, including the Civic Center area, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday evening that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after reported violence against law enforcement, specifically, ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city.

While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency “categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles.”

The raids in Paramount, Los Angeles County, followed similar action in locations through other parts of the city on Friday, during which police arrested at least 44 people. Some protesters have thrown rocks at officers, with one allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail, and burning items in the streets. Police responded with tear gas.

The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.

National Guard troops stand outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 8 in Los Angeles. National Guard troops stand outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 8 in Los Angeles. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What To Know

Trump announced that he had mobilized the National Guard on Saturday night, citing 10 U.S.C. 12406, a specific provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services that allows the federal deployment of National Guard forces if “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Trump wrote in his order: “Numerous incidents of violence and disorder have recently occurred and threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws. In addition, violent protests threaten the security of and significant damage to Federal immigration detention facilities and other Federal property.”

The order continued: “To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Despite mobilizing the National Guard on Saturday evening, troops did not arrive until Sunday morning, well after the protests had ended for the day.

LAPD Central Division on Sunday wrote on X that the National Guard had been deployed to federal facilities, stressing that “everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions. However, vandalizing property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful.”

“Officers are deployed and monitoring activities in the Civic Center area,” the police added.

Good Morning DTLA‼️

National Guard has been deployed to Federal Facilities.

Everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions. However, vandalizing property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful.… — LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) June 8, 2025

What People Are Saying

Border czar Tom Homan on Fox News on Saturday said: “We’re already mobilizing. We’re gonna bring the National Guard in tonight and we’re gonna continue doing our job. This is about enforcing the law.”

He added: “American people, this is about enforcing the law, and again, we’re not going to apologize for doing it.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom on X following Trump’s National Guard announcement: “The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.”

He added: “The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

President Donald Trump on Truth Social wrote on Saturday: “If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”

What Happens Next?

Protesters have gathered for a third day as law enforcement continues to ramp up its operations.

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Federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps across Los Angeles on Friday, prompting anger and resistance from onlookers and immigrant rights groups that have braced for this type of action for months.

By Saturday, tensions were rising between state and local authorities and Trump administration officials, who said they were calling up the National Guard in response to what they said were “violent mobs” attacking “ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the plan to take over deployment from the state “purposefully inflammatory,” adding that it “will only escalate tensions.”

Newsom said he’d been in “close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.”

President Donald Trump on social media said the move was needed: “If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”

The president signed a memorandum authorizing “at least 2,000 National Guard personnel,” as well as “any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion.”

Where things stand

U.S. National Guard are deployed outside the federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following a immigration raid protest the night before. Jae Hong / AP )

By early Sunday, National Guard troops began stationing in downtown Los Angeles. LAist’s media partner KCAL News broadcast video of troops in camouflage tactical gear arriving at the federal building and reported they’d also driven through Paramount.

By Sunday afternoon, crowds started to gather in downtown.

Outside City Hall for planned protest at 2 p.m., Eli Lockwood of Hacienda Heights told LAist she was there to protest what said were “disgusting attacks on our communities.”

“We have to stand united against the attacks on the immigrant community because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” she said.

A larger crowd assembled outside a federal detention center, where images showed National Guard troops clashing with some of the protesters. But Anna Benedict of Echo Park told LAist the demonstration had so far been largely peaceful.

“I mean, everybody here wants to be peaceful,” she said. “We’ve been standing here for quite a while, and no one is menacing the National Guard. Everybody is just standing up for their own freedom.”

The scene in downtown L.A. on Sunday afternoon. Liz Baker / NPR )

Two starkly contrasting pictures of conditions in the L.A. area continued to be offered by Trump and his allies, compared to local and state officials.

While Fox News and other conservative media used captions like “L.A. Riots” and the term “rioters” was trending on X, closer to home, authorities described isolated skirmishes and urged calm. Some national outlets seems to think Paramount, where there was some violence reported, was located within the city of Los Angeles.

Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, who represents Paramount, told LAist Sunday morning that she’d been in close contact with the sheriff’s department, which patrols the area.

“We don’t need additional assistance,” she said. “We have everything under control… the sheriff’s in Paramount got everything under control yesterday and LAPD has cleared out downtown last night without the help of National Guard.”

Here’s what the L.A. Sheriff’s Department had to say about the situation in Paramount in a statement sent to LAist at 2:30 a.m. Sunday:

“Two deputies were injured and transported to a local area hospital for non-life threatening injuries and released. We have not been informed of any specific injuries to protestors. It was confirmed there was one car burned (Hyundai).

“Several people were detained, however, at this time there has been one confirmed arrest (unknown charges).

“There was a fire at a local strip mall that was quickly extinguished. The extent of the damage is unknown at this time.

“Acts of violence witnessed were fireworks and bottles being thrown.

“We were told the National Guard is being deployed, however they are not in the area/on the ground as of yet. There is no coordinated plan(s) as of now.”

Mayor Bass told KCAL News: “My concern and we have experienced civil unrest and I remember 1992 very well and one of the worst things you can do is have an extreme presence of law enforcement and the violence actually escalates.”

Newsom’s deputy director of communications, Dianna Crofts-Pelayo, said there were about 300 California National Guard troops at three sites in Los Angeles Sunday morning.

“They were deployed on the ground after President Bone Spurs claimed they saved the day,” she added, referring Trump’s diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his military exemption in 1968 during the Vietnam War.

Bass and other local and state leaders have urged protesters to remain peaceful, saying there is no place for violence or attacks on police as people use their First Amendment rights.

Barragán said her constituents are upset: “People are angry, people are angry, they’re concerned. There’s a lot of anxiety about immigration enforcement.”

The effect ” is terrorizing the community and now you send the National Guard, you know, against their own people and that is of course gonna escalate the situation and we’re trying to deescalate. And I think this administration knows what they’re doing. They’re trying to have a distraction and he’s been coming up to California.”

What led up to Trump’s action

An anti-ICE protester challenges deputies in Paramount on Saturday. Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images )

The conflict in Paramount, a city of about 56,000 residents south of L.A., attracted national attention after protests near a Home Depot extended into Saturday. Those protests appear to have begun when ICE agents were spotted in the area.

As the situation there was still developing, L.A. County sheriff’s officials said in a statement that “as the situation escalated, the crowd of protesters became increasingly agitated, throwing objects and exhibiting violent behavior toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs.”

At that point, the LASD said it requested additional resources “countywide.” The statement did not reference the National Guard.

“We will protect your right to peacefully protest,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in an interview included in the statement, “but we will not tolerate violence or destruction of property.”

The Sheriff’s Department also clarified that they were not participating in any immigration enforcement actions, saying: “When federal authorities come under attack and request assistance, we will support them and provide aid. However, this does not mean that we are assisting with their immigration actions or operations; rather, our objective is to protect them from any violent attacks. Any assault on federal or local law enforcement is unacceptable.”

In contrast, LAPD officials released a statement at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday calling the day’s protests in the city “peaceful” and commending “all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly,” adding that the department “appreciates the cooperation of organizers, participants and community partners who helped ensure public safety throughout the day.”

Later in the evening, LAPD officers ordered protesters in downtown L.A. to disperse and closed Alameda between Los Angeles Street and 2nd Street to both pedestrians and vehicles.

In a message sent on X at 10:18 p.m., LAPD headquarters warned: “Multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued. Remaining people in the area of the UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY will be subject to arrest. Leave the area!!”

⚠️Traffic Advisory⚠️ Alameda remains closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic between 2nd St and the 101 freeway.

Multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued. Remaining people in the area of the UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY will be… — LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) June 8, 2025

The scene late Saturday in downtown Los Angeles near the central jail. Jordan Rynning / LAist )

What we know about the arrests and protests

Initially, ICE officials said 44 people were arrested in the raids, although some news reports placed that arrest number at more than 120 by late Saturday.

“ICE officers and agents alongside partner law enforcement agencies, executed four federal search warrants at three locations in central Los Angeles,” ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe said in a statement .

Confrontations between what appeared to be ICE officers and people in the streets of downtown L.A. could be seen in video aired on local television and shared on social media.

At times, uniformed agents or officers could be seen physically moving people who appeared to be blocking the officers and their vehicles.

Reports shared via the social media platform X said ICE was seen in the Garment District area of L.A. Another video showed federal agents in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Westlake, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Angelica Salas, executive director of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, known as CHIRLA, said her organization estimated there were at least 45 detentions.

Among them was Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta, according to union authorities. They said Huerta had been injured and was receiving medical attention while in custody.

“What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger,” Huerta said in a statement released by the union. “This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that’s happening. Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

Several immigrant rights leaders and activists, along with some city elected officials, attended a large rally Friday evening to share their reactions to the federal operations and call for a stop to them. Later, more than 300 people marched a few blocks toward the federal detention center.

Protesters march after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. Jae C. Hong / AP )

Reaction from city officials

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement Friday afternoon condemning the raids.

“This morning we received reports of federal immigration enforcement actions in multiple locations in Los Angeles,” the statement read. “As a Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.

“My Office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations,” the mayor continued. “We will not stand for this.”

All 15 members of the City Council released a joint statement that echoed some of the same points the Bass made.

“We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants,” the statement read. “We will not abide by fear tactics to support extreme political agendas that aim to stoke fear and spread discord in our city.

“To every immigrant living in our city: we see you, we stand with you, and we will fight for you,” the statement continued. “Los Angeles will continue to be a place that values and dignifies every human being, no matter who they are or where they come from.”

Listen • 0:46 Listen: Immigration sweeps in LA Agents were met with anger and resistance from onlookers and immigrant rights groups that have braced for this type of action for months.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said his department was not involved in the raids.

“While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual’s immigration status,” he said.

After the sweeps, photographers captured several protesters being detained by officers. Addressing a crowd at a rally, L.A. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez pushed back against previous statements by the Trump administration that ICE would focus their efforts on dangerous criminals.

“It’s never, ever, ever been the case,” Hernandez said. “Because when they come for one of us, they come for all of us. And we have to remember that.”

Dozens of immigration activists gathered in downtown Los Angeles to protest a series of federal immigration operations Friday, June 6, that resulted in several detentions. Frank Stoltze / LAist )

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado noted the timing of the ICE operations, stressing that they happened at a time when families and students are celebrating graduations and the LGBTQ+ community is celebrating Pride Month.

“What kind of government plans this during our most sacred moments of joy?” Jurado asked. “The footage speaks for itself. This is cruelty disguised as policy.”

Mass deportations

Since Trump was elected, immigrant rights groups in Southern California have been on edge. Trump has promised “mass deportations” of unauthorized immigrants. There have been protests that have shut down freeways and high school walkouts by students protesting the administration.

“Los Angeles immigrant communities and allies have been preparing,” Andres Kwon of the American Civil Liberties Union told LAist in February.

The ACLU is part of the L.A. Rapid Response Network, a group of immigrant rights, legal, and faith-based groups that has a hotline for people to report ICE activity and to seek help after a raid.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and other groups have hosted workshops that teach undocumented immigrants how to assert their constitutional rights, as well as how to prepare for worst-case scenarios. They’ve been telling people they don’t have to allow a federal agent into their home without a warrant and don’t have to reveal their immigration status.

The Los Angeles Unified School District began distributing “red cards,” also known as “Know Your Rights” cards, to help people assert their rights and defend themselves if they encounter federal immigration agents.

The effort came as the Trump administration announced it would allow ICE to conduct arrests in sensitive areas such as schools and churches, dismantling policies dating back to 2011 .

Before L.A., ICE conducted high-profile enforcement actions in Chicago and Boston. Last week, an ICE raid on a restaurant in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood resulted in multiple arrests. While the raid was taking place, crowds gathered outside the restaurant where many people protested the action, filming the officers on their cellphones and surrounding their vehicles.

Detentions under Biden

Removals of immigrants by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol in the L.A. area were on the rise before Trump came into office. But the Washington Post reported earlier this year that ICE had struggled to boost arrest numbers despite an infusion of resources.

ICE/CBP removals in the L.A. Area of Operations, which includes much of Southern California, increased by more than 180% between the 2022 and 2024 fiscal years, according to ICE data. More than 3,551 people were removed in fiscal 2024, which ended Sept. 30.

Detentions also rose, according to the data.

While national detentions remained fairly constant over the past four years, L.A. area detentions increased by 155% from 2022 to 2024, when 3,857 people were detained.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Chris Newman, legal director and general counsel for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said earlier this year.

While in office, former President Joe Biden was under increasing political pressure to address illegal immigration.

“The Biden administration was focused on recent arrivals and people with criminal history,” Newman said.

From 2023 to 2024, the L.A. area had significant increases in detentions (432% increase from 217 to 1,154) and removals (547% increase from 223 to 1,443) of people who had not been convicted of crimes.

How we’re reporting on this

Jordan Rynning contributed to this report. Josie Huang, who hosts Weekend Edition on LAist 89.3, is conducting interviews. Dañiel Martinez and Jared Bennett are making calls to the public officials and monitoring news conferences. Frank Stoltze reported from the field on Friday. Fiona Ng and Megan Garvey have contributed reporting and writing, as well as editing. Dana Littlefield edited the original version of this article which initially published Friday.

This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials and reporters on the ground). Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and/or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.

I could hear the echo of booms as protests raged, though many in LA unaware of unrest

Christal Hayes

Reporting from Los Angeles

Many waking up in the Los Angeles area are startled by the news of the National Guard arriving here.

There have been protests on multiple days this week, all in areas where immigration raids were happening. But the LA area is huge and these protests were fairly isolated in small pockets of the city.

The county has nearly 10 million residents and covers 4,000 sq miles.

Many of my friends around town were going about their normal Saturday nights unaware of the unrest or Trump’s rare move of using presidential authority to go around the governor to deploy troops here.

The areas where the protests happened both Friday and Saturday were isolated to a part of downtown LA and to Paramount, a small city in south Los Angeles County where raids were happening.

Paramount is a heavily Latino area where 82% of residents are Hispanic, external.

I live close to that area and could hear the echo of “booms” as protests raged.

The National Guard last came for unrest in 2020 – amid protests after George Floyd’s death – but it was not a deployment made under presidential authority.

Our mayor made the request to our governor for troops to help quell the unrest. Troops more recently came here for a natural disaster after the LA fires raged earlier this year.