National Guard Arrives in Los Angeles as Trump Orders Crackdown on Anti-ICE Protests

Los Angeles, CA – June 8, 2025 – The first contingent of California National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles late Saturday night, following President Donald Trump’s authorization of 2,000 guardsmen to quell escalating protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city. The deployment, which overrides objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom, marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy and has sparked widespread controversy.

The protests erupted Friday after ICE conducted sweeping raids across Los Angeles, detaining at least 118 individuals, including alleged gang members and others linked to crimes such as domestic violence and human smuggling, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Clashes intensified Saturday in the predominantly Latino city of Paramount, where protesters confronted federal agents near a Home Depot, leading to the use of tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls by law enforcement. A car was set ablaze, and shopping carts were overturned as demonstrators chanted anti-ICE slogans, including “Fuera ICE” (ICE, get out).

Trump, citing “violent mobs” attacking federal agents, signed a presidential memorandum Saturday to federalize the California National Guard under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to deploy the Guard to suppress “rebellion” or “unlawful obstruction” of federal law. The White House described the protests as a “form of rebellion” threatening ICE operations, which it deemed “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.”

Governor Newsom condemned the deployment as “purposefully inflammatory” and unnecessary, arguing that local law enforcement, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, had the situation under control. “The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate,” Newsom posted on X, urging residents to avoid giving the administration “a spectacle.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass echoed concerns, noting that the National Guard had not yet been deployed within city limits as of early Sunday and thanking local police for their response.

The decision to deploy the National Guard has raised legal and ethical questions. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley Law School, told the Los Angeles Times that while Trump has authority under the Insurrection Act of 1807 to federalize the Guard, such actions are typically reserved for “extreme circumstances.” He expressed concern that the move was an “early response” intended to intimidate protesters rather than address an unmanageable crisis. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California called the deployment “unnecessary, inflammatory, and an abuse of power.”

Tensions were further heightened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s warning that active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton, approximately 100 miles south of Los Angeles, were “on high alert” and could be mobilized if violence persists. Newsom labeled this threat “deranged behavior,” and legal experts noted that the Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits active-duty military from engaging in domestic law enforcement without explicit congressional approval.

The protests stem from Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, which include a goal of 3,000 daily migrant arrests nationwide. ICE operations in Los Angeles targeted workplaces, including a garment factory and day labor sites, but have also ensnared legal residents, prompting legal challenges. Among those detained Friday was David Huerta, president of SEIU California, whose arrest sparked outrage after video showed officers knocking him to the ground.

As Los Angeles braces for potential further protests on Sunday, the National Guard’s presence is expected to intensify scrutiny of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Bilal Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, confirmed to CBS News that troops would be fully deployed within 24 hours. Meanwhile, community leaders and immigrant rights advocates, such as Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, have decried the raids as “cruel” and terrorizing, vowing continued resistance.

The situation remains fluid, with local and federal authorities on high alert. The deployment, coupled with Trump’s rhetoric labeling protesters “rioters and looters,” has deepened divisions, placing Los Angeles at the epicenter of a national debate over immigration enforcement and federal overreach.

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