What to Know About the Immigration Protests in Los Angeles
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump threatened to deploy National Guard in L.A. amid protests over immigration raids
One person arrested and several others detained following Saturday night’s protests across Los Angeles. Two deputies were injured and transported to a local area hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The spokesperson said the arrest was linked to the protests, without indicating what the charges were.
They added that two deputies were injured and transported to a local area hospital for non-life threatening injuries. They have been released.
At the time of the phone call (5.20 a.m. ET), the spokesperson said crowds had diminished but the protest was still considered active.
Everything we know as Trump sends National Guard to LA after anti-ICE protests
The president ordered the deployment of the National Guard to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” despite objections from the state’s Democratic governor. The governor, Gavin Newsom, called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and said it would only escalate tensions. The protests in Los Angeles erupted following a series of federal immigration raids on Saturday. Trump praised the National Guards for their response to the protests, even though the Los Angeles mayor stated that no Guard troops were present in the city. It is the first time a president has used such power since the 1992 LA riots, sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. The National Guard has been deployed to Los Angeles for the past two days, but no troops have yet been deployed in San Francisco or New York, the White House said on Sunday. The move is not due to a lack of local law enforcement personnel, but an attempt to create a “spectacle”
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President Donald Trump has ordered 2,000 members of the California National Guard to be deployed to Los Angeles to intervene in protests against immigration raids, claiming local officials have failed to respond properly.
The move has been criticized by the state’s democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who called it “purposefully inflammatory” and said it would only escalate tensions.
On Sunday, Trump praised the National Guard troops for their response to the protests, even though the Los Angeles mayor stated that no Guard troops were present in the city.
“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
Minutes later, Mayor Karen Bass posted on X, saying: “Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles.”
Protests erupt
Clashes erupted on Saturday near a Home Depot in Paramount, a predominantly Latino city south of Los Angeles, where federal agents were staging operations at a nearby Department of Homeland Security office.
Authorities deployed tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls as protesters responded by throwing rocks and chunks of cement at Border Patrol vehicles. Smoke drifted through the streets from small fires set with burning debris.
Demonstrators are seen using blockades and facing tear gas, flashbang grenades, and pepper ball shots, while rising tensions have resulted in damaged property (Photo: Taurat Hossain/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The unrest followed a series of immigration sweeps the day before, including operations in LA’s fashion district and at another Home Depot location.
More than 100 people have been arrested in the city in a week. Among those detained was a prominent union leader, taken into custody during a protest and charged with obstructing law enforcement.
Several hundred protesters gathered in Paramount near a doughnut shop, where authorities used barbed wire barricades to hold back the crowd.
Elsewhere in central Los Angeles, demonstrators once again assembled outside federal buildings, including a detention center. Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and began making arrests.
Earlier in Paramount, immigration agents encountered protesters near the entrance of a business park behind a Home Depot.
Demonstrators set off fireworks, dragged shopping carts into the street, smashed cinder blocks, and threw debris at a convoy of Border Patrol vans as they sped away down the boulevard.
Democratic governor objects the move
The president ordered the deployment of the National Guard to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” despite objections from the state’s Democratic governor.
Newsome has said the Trump administration’s decision to send troops to California is not due to a lack of local law enforcement personnel, but an attempt to create a “spectacle.”
Protesters clash with law enforcement officers in Paramount and downtown Los Angeles, California, following recent raids by immigration authorities (Photo: Taurat Hossain/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“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,” Newsome said in a post on X on Saturday.
“Don’t give them one,” he said. “Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons told several news outlets that local residents turned out in response to immigration enforcement activity because of widespread fear within the community.
“When situations are handled the way this one seems to have been, it’s no surprise that chaos follows,” she said.
Protesters shouted at officers while filming the scene on their phones. A woman with a megaphone declared, “ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are. You’re not welcome here.”
Trump’s directive invokes a rarely used law that allows the federal government to deploy the National Guard if “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States”.
It is the first time a president has used such power since the 1992 LA riots, sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King.
Trump said the federal government would “solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
LA Protests: Trump and Newsom Clash as National Guard Deployed
California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to activate the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Newsom called on protesters not to give the administration a reason to justify the measure. Normally, governors would be allowed to retain control and command of their state’s National Guard, but that is not what is happening this time in California. The National Guard’s announced deployment in California is turning the Democratic-led state into a stage for the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on immigration. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is considering sending active-duty troops to L.A. “if violence continues,” an idea that Newsom condemned as “deranged” and “unable to handle the task” of quelling protests in the city. “This is deranged behavior against its own citizens,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path,” Bass said.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to activate the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-immigration enforcement protests in the city as “purposefully inflammatory,” calling on protesters not to give the administration a reason to justify the measure.
“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,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. “Don’t give them one.”
Why It Matters
While it is not the first time that the Trump administration has activated the National Guard to quell protests across the country, the U.S. president is doing so now despite Newsom’s explicit opposition. Normally, governors would be allowed to retain control and command of their state’s National Guard—but that is not what is happening this time in California.
The National Guard’s announced deployment in California is turning the Democratic-led state into a stage for the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on immigration, showing how far the president is willing to go to keep his promise to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants during his second term in office.
What To Know
Protests against the White House’s workplace raids broke out across Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday, when federal security agents clashed with demonstrators. While there have been no reported arrests, the Trump administration said that the situation in the city was out of control and required federal intervention.
On Saturday, the president announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, justifying his decision as necessary to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” as the White House wrote in a presidential memorandum.
President Donald Trump, left, on June 5, 2025, in Washington D.C.; California Governor Gavin Newsom, right, on April 16, 2025, in Ceres, California. President Donald Trump, left, on June 5, 2025, in Washington D.C.; California Governor Gavin Newsom, right, on April 16, 2025, in Ceres, California. Getty Images
On Saturday, the president also wrote on his Truth Social profile: “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!”
But both Newsom and Bass have rejected claims that protests in Los Angeles were out of control, with the governor calling the Trump administration’s decision “purposefully inflammatory” and the mayor saying the National Guard’s presence would “not be helpful” in quelling demonstrations.
The situation could escalate even further if protests in Los Angeles continue. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is considering sending active-duty troops to Los Angeles “if violence continues,” an idea that Newsom has condemned as “deranged.”
What They Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles were doing a “great job” at bringing order back into the city “after two days of violence, clashes and unrest.”
He added: “These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED. Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!”
He called Newsom “incompetent,” accusing him and the Los Angeles mayor of being “unable to handle the task” of quelling protests in the city.
In response to Trump’s announcement and accusations, Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that the federal takeover of the California National Guard was “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.” He then urged protesters not to give them one, calling for peaceful demonstrations.
He later added in another post: “The secretary of defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X: “This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County. Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning. We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward.”
She added: “Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
What Happens Next
The latest update from Bass on social media informed Los Angeles citizens that National Guard troops had not yet arrived in the city. “Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles,” she wrote on X.
The Trump administration said that the troops will arrive in the city within the next 24 hours.
Trump deploys National Guard troops to quell LA protests – DW – 06
Protesters clashed with security forces in Los Angeles for the second consecutive day on Saturday. At least 44 immigrants were arrested in raids on multiple locations on Friday. The raids come amid a clampdown on undocumented migrants that has been promoted by President Donald Trump. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has condemned the raids, saying they “sow terror in our communities” The protests are the latest in a series of anti-immigration protests across the U.S.
06/08/2025 June 8, 2025 Protests continue in LA after immigration raids
The immigration raids have become a flashpoint between the federal government and LA city leaders Image: Daniel Cole/REUTERS
Protesters denouncing immigration raids clashed with security forces in Los Angeles for the second consecutive day on Saturday.
In tense scenes, federal Border Patrol agents in riot gear and gas masks faced off with demonstrators in the city of Paramount in southeast LA.
Officers used tear gas in a bid to disperse the protesters.
The protests come after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested at least 44 immigrants in raids on multiple locations on Friday.
Trump has promised to deport undocumented migrants Image: Eric Thayer/AP/picture alliance
According to the Department of Homeland Security, some 1,000 rioters “surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property” on Friday.
The arrests come amid a clampdown on undocumented migrants that has been promoted by President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to deport thousands of immigrants living in the country illegally.
LA Mayor Karen Bass has condemned the ICE raids, which she said “sow terror in our communities.”
Los Angeles, the country’s second largest city which has long been run by Democratic officials, is home to millions of Hispanic-Americans and foreign-born nationals.
“We will not stand for this,” she said in a post on X.
In a statement , ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons slammed the protests, calling the scenes “appalling” and accusing Bass of taking “the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”
“These violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers, and make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens,” Lyons added.
White House aide Stephen Miller said on X that Friday’s protests were “an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.”
LA immigration protests: Trump slams ‘incompetent’ California Guv, bans masks amid violent clashes
US President Donald Trump authorised the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops on the second day of immigration protests in Los Angeles. Trump blamed what he called the “incompetence” of California Governor Gavin Newscum and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “These Radical Left protests by instigators and often paid troublemakers will not be tolerated,” he wrote. The deployment order was signed on June 8, following a confrontation between federal immigration agents and over 500 protesters.
Face masks banned during protests
Taking to Truth Social, Trump blamed what he called the “incompetence” of California Governor Gavin Newscum and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of allowing the protests to spiral out of control. “These Radical Left protests by instigators and often paid troublemakers will not be tolerated,” Trump wrote, announcing a ban on face masks during protests.
He praised the National Guard for bringing the situation “under control” after what he described as “two days of violence, clashes, and unrest.” Trump also used the moment to revisit previous criticisms of Mayor Bass, referencing her handling of the devastating LA fires and her opposition to immigration enforcement.
What led to the National Guard deployment?
The deployment order was signed on June 8, following a confrontation between federal immigration agents and over 500 protesters in downtown Los Angeles. Clashes quickly erupted as Border Patrol agents in riot gear used smoke bombs to disperse the crowd. The White House later characterized the chaos as a “violent insurrection,” vowing harsh penalties for those interfering with federal law enforcement. “Federal law is supreme, and it will be enforced,” said a senior White House official.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the administration’s firm position in a public post, issuing a warning to demonstrators. “You will not stop us or slow us down,” she said. “ICE agents will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
President Trump, in his post announcing the troop deployment, reiterated his criticism of state leadership: “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,” he wrote.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump-please.html