Los Angeles: President Donald Trump’s administration announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Saturday, as federal agents clashed with demonstrators protesting aggressive immigration raids. The move came during the second consecutive day of unrest in the city, where hundreds gathered to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that active-duty troops could be mobilized if the situation escalates, stating that Marines at Camp Pendleton were “on high alert”.
In the Paramount area of southeast Los Angeles, protesters confronted federal agents, waving Mexican flags and voicing opposition to the raids. Later in the evening, around 60 demonstrators gathered downtown, chanting slogans such as “ICE out of L.A.!”
According to the White House, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum to authorize the National Guard deployment, aimed at “addressing the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.” White House immigration adviser Tom Homan told Fox News that National Guard troops would be in place by Saturday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the decision, calling it “purposefully inflammatory.” In a post on X, Newsom said, “Trump is deploying the National Guard 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.”
Trump, in a message on Truth Social, targeted both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, saying, “If Newsom and Mayor Bass can’t do their jobs, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
The protests underscored a widening divide between Los Angeles—governed by Democrats and home to a large Hispanic and immigrant population—and a Republican-led White House that has made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of Trump’s second-term agenda.
‘Violent Insurrection’
Vice President JD Vance took to X to denounce the protests: “Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America’s political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil.”
Stephen Miller, a senior White House aide and immigration policy hardliner, described the demonstrations as a “violent insurrection.”
Despite the intense rhetoric, administration officials confirmed to Reuters that the Insurrection Act had not been invoked. However, one official noted that National Guard troops could be mobilized within 24 hours, and efforts were underway to source the required 2,000 personnel.
The Insurrection Act, last invoked during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, allows the president to deploy military forces domestically to suppress civil disorder.
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Footage from Paramount showed rows of federal agents in green uniforms and gas masks standing behind overturned shopping carts as smoke from tear gas drifted through the air. Reuters reporters at the scene observed some protesters being detained, although authorities provided no official arrest figures.
“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,” said Ron Gochez, 44, one of the protest participants.
Raids Spark Outrage and Legal Concerns
Friday’s protests began following ICE operations that led to the arrest of at least 44 individuals for alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that around “1,000 rioters” participated in the demonstrations, a number Reuters could not independently verify.
Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrant rights group CHIRLA, expressed alarm that lawyers had not been granted access to the detainees from Friday’s raids, calling it “very worrying”.
The recent surge in enforcement follows Trump’s pledge to deport record numbers of undocumented migrants and secure the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House has reportedly set a target of 3,000 ICE arrests per day. However, the crackdown has reportedly swept up individuals with legal residency as well, prompting a wave of legal challenges.
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Neither ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, nor the Los Angeles Police Department responded to media inquiries about Saturday’s protests or potential raids.
According to CHIRLA, enforcement actions occurred near Home Depot locations—where day laborers and street vendors are common—as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse.
Mayor Karen Bass sharply criticized the raids, saying in a statement, “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. We will not stand for this.”
