LAST UPDATE | 8 Jun

NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS began arriving in Los Angeles early Sunday after being ordered there by US President Donald Trump, a rare deployment against the state governor’s wishes after sometimes violent protests against immigration enforcement raids.

Trump took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, a decision deemed “purposefully inflammatory” by California Governor Gavin Newsom and of a kind not seen for decades.

Helmeted troops carrying automatic weapons and handing out shields could be seen near city hall in footage from ABC News’ local affiliate in the California city early Sunday, ahead of more protests expected by the afternoon.

The development came after two days of confrontations during which federal agents fired flash-bang grenades and tear gas toward crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population.

Republicans lined up behind Trump Sunday to dismiss warnings by Newsom and other local officials that the protests had been largely peaceful, and that the deployment was against their wishes and would exacerbate tensions.

“I have no concern about that at all,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC’s “This Week” when asked, adding that Newsom “has shown an inability or unwillingness to do what is necessary there, so the president stepped in.”

As for threats by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday to send in active-duty Marines on top of the Guard troops, Johnson said he did not see that as “heavy-handed.”

“We have to be prepared to do what is necessary,” he argued.

Federal authorities “want a spectacle. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,” Newsom had posted on X late Saturday.

“We agree that if you’re being violent, you should be arrested … But this is not what’s happening,” California Congresswoman Nanette Barragan told CNN Sunday.

“We are having an administration that’s targeting peaceful protests … The president is sending the National Guard because he doesn’t like the scenes,” the Democrat said.

Overnight a photographer for news organisation AFP saw fires and fireworks light up the streets during clashes, while a protester holding a Mexican flag stood in front of a burnt-out car that had been sprayed with a slogan against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

“It’s up to us to stand up for our people,” said a Los Angeles resident whose parents are immigrants, declining to give her name.

“Whether we get hurt, whether they gas us, whatever they’re throwing at us. They’re never going to stop us. All we have left is our voice,” she told AFP as emergency services lights flashed in the distance.

Protesters face off with California Highway Patrol officers during a protest against ICE and immigration raids on the Alvarado Boulevard Long Beach Freeway in Paramount. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.”

‘Purposefully inflammatory’

The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local politicians. That was not the case on Saturday.

Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry the White House order.

“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“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. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”

Los Angeles County Sheriffs stand during a protest in Compton. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to ramp up tensions further, warning that nearby regular military forces could get involved.

“If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized – they are on high alert,” he wrote on social media.

Law professor Jessica Levinson said Hegseth’s intervention appeared symbolic because of the general legal restriction on the use of the US military as a domestic policing force in the absence of an insurrection.

“At this moment, it’s not using the Insurrection Act,” she said, rather Trump was relying on what is known as Title 10.

“The National Guard will be able to do (no) more than provide logistical (and) personnel support.”

Arrests 

Since taking office in January, Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – who he has likened to “monsters” and “animals.”

The Department for Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles this week had resulted in the arrest of “118 aliens, including five gang members.”

A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents.

On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were “feeling fear” following the federal immigration enforcement actions.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she said on X.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday’s clashes.

“You bring chaos, and we’ll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,” he said on X.

On Saturday, amid chants for ICE agents to get out, some protesters waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts served as crude roadblocks.

The White House has taken a hard line against the protests, with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller calling them “an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.”

© AFP 2025