Los Angeles is in the midst of escalating tensions as President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2000 California National Guard troops to the city, defying objections from state Governor Gavin Newsom. This decision comes following a second day of clashes between federal immigration authorities clad in riot gear and hundreds of protesters.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that the Pentagon is ready to mobilize active-duty troops should the violence continue, noting that marines stationed at nearby Camp Pendleton are on high alert.
Protest confrontations erupted near a Home Depot store in Paramount, a heavily Latino community south of Los Angeles. Federal agents stationed at a nearby Department of Homeland Security office used tear gas, flash-bang explosives, and pepper balls to disperse demonstrators who responded by throwing rocks and cement at the Border Patrol vehicles. The atmosphere was charged with tension as smoke from small fires drifted through the streets.
These protests were fueled by a series of immigration sweeps conducted by federal authorities, which took place the previous day across areas including the Los Angeles fashion district and the Home Depot. As arrests of immigrants surpassed 100, the situation grew increasingly volatile. A union leader who participated in the protests was apprehended for allegedly obstructing law enforcement.
On Saturday night, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump had signed a presidential memorandum authorizing the deployment, emphasizing that California’s Democratic leadership had “abandoned their responsibility to protect their citizens.” The timing of the troops’ arrival remains uncertain.
In a stark rebuke, Newsom characterized the decision to send in the National Guard as “purposefully inflammatory” and likely to heighten tensions further. He later accused the federal government of seeking a spectacle and urged the public not to react violently.
The governor also condemned Hegseth’s remarks regarding the potential deployment of active-duty marines, describing it as “deranged behavior” aimed at using military force against American citizens.
The deployment directive followed confrontations in Paramount and nearby Compton, where a vehicle was set ablaze amid the protests. Demonstrations continued throughout the evening, with thousands gathering near various establishments, sparking local authorities to erect barbed wire to control the crowd.
Throughout downtown Los Angeles, protesters converged outside federal buildings and detention centers, prompting local police to declare unlawful assembly and detain several individuals.
Earlier in Paramount, clashes occurred as immigration officers faced off against demonstrators near a business park adjacent to the Home Depot. Protesters lit fireworks, created roadblocks using shopping carts, and pelted Border Patrol van exits with cinder blocks.
Governor Newsom suggested that Trump’s actions signified an unwarranted takeover of the California National Guard, asserting that local authorities were well-equipped to handle law enforcement needs and that there wasn’t an unmet need for federal assistance.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump lashed out at Newsom, criticizing him and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for failing in their responsibilities. He declared, “If … they 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!!!”
Vice President J.D. Vance also weighed in on the situation, describing the protesters as “insurrectionists” targeting immigration enforcement, while suggesting that a segment of America’s political leadership viewed border enforcement as negative.
Senior White House aide Stephen Miller characterized the protests as a “violent insurrection,” although reports revealed that the administration had not invoked the Insurrection Act, which empowers a president to deploy the military for law enforcement and civil disorder.
Despite the lack of invocation, sources indicated that National Guard troops could be deployed quickly, with preparations ongoing to source the required number. The Insurrection Act, enacted in 1807, was last utilized during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
The protests have highlighted a stark divide between the Democratic leadership of Los Angeles, which has a significant Hispanic and immigrant population, and President Trump’s Republican administration, which has made a crackdown on immigration a focal point of its agenda.
Protester Ron Gochez, 44, voiced the resolve of demonstrators, asserting that immigrants would not be easily intimidated. He stated, “Now they know that they cannot go anywhere in this country where our people are and try to kidnap our workers, our people – they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance.”
At the protests, messages against Immigration and Customs Enforcement were loud and clear—one demonstrator declared, “ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are, you are not welcome here.”
A sign held high read: “No Human Being is Illegal,” echoing the sentiments of many who gathered in solidarity against the immigration enforcement actions.
Leavitt defended the National Guard deployment, clarifying that the violent acts directed at immigration officers were unacceptable and that the administration would not tolerate lawlessness. She emphasized that the Trump administration stands firm on its zero tolerance policy towards criminal actions, particularly those targeting law enforcement engaged in their lawful duties.
On Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested over 40 individuals while executing warrants at multiple sites, including a confrontation outside a clothing warehouse where a crowd attempted to impede their actions. This arrest occurred following a judge’s finding of probable cause related to the employment of fictitious documents by the warehouse employer, according to statements from Homeland Security Investigations and the US Attorney’s Office.
image source from：https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/tear-gas-flash-bangs-and-arrests-as-la-immigration-detention-centre-protest-turns-violent-20250608-p5m5qn.html
