Trump Sends Troops to LA Over Immigration Protests

National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles early Sunday after President Donald Trump ordered the rare federal deployment over the objections of California officials, following two days of escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids.

The move marked a significant escalation in federal intervention, with Trump taking control of California’s state military apparatus to force the deployment into the nation’s second-largest city. Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the decision as “purposefully inflammatory,” noting it defied the will of state leadership and broke decades of precedent.

Footage from ABC News showed helmeted troops carrying automatic weapons and distributing riot shields near Los Angeles City Hall early Sunday. More demonstrations were expected later in the day.

The deployment follows chaotic scenes across the city, particularly in the suburb of Paramount, where flash-bang grenades and tear gas were used by federal agents during standoffs with protesters. The unrest began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of high-profile workplace raids on Friday, arresting dozens in a city known for its large Latino population.

Despite calls for calm from local leaders, Republican officials defended the deployment. House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking on ABC’s This Week, said: “Governor Newsom has shown an unwillingness to act, so the president stepped in. I have no concern about it.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went further, warning Saturday that active-duty Marines could be sent from nearby Camp Pendleton if unrest continued — a threat critics said was largely symbolic given legal limits on using military forces for domestic policing in non-insurrection scenarios.

Legal scholars pointed to the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of federal troops in law enforcement roles. “The National Guard might assist with logistics or crowd control, but deploying Marines crosses a legal and constitutional line,” said law professor Jessica Levinson.

Despite a heavy security presence, California leaders continued to insist the protests had largely remained peaceful. “We are seeing an administration targeting peaceful protests — simply because they don’t like the optics,” said Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragán.

Governor Newsom urged protesters to remain non-violent. “Federal authorities want a spectacle. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,” he posted on X late Saturday.

Overnight, AFP reporters witnessed fires and fireworks lighting up the streets. A protester waved a Mexican flag in front of a charred vehicle tagged with anti-ICE slogans. "All we have left is our voice," said one young woman, the daughter of immigrants, who declined to give her name. “They can gas us or shoot at us, but they won’t silence us.”

Trump signed a memorandum Saturday deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to the city. Late that night, before the Guard was seen on the streets, he posted on Truth Social praising their readiness for “a job well done.”

Trump, who has repeatedly referred to undocumented immigrants as “monsters” and “animals,” has ramped up enforcement ahead of the 2024 election. Friday’s ICE raids sparked immediate outrage and drew large crowds to federal sites across Los Angeles.

“We’re Spanish. We help the community. We do the work no one else wants to do,” said 24-year-old Fernando Delgado. “These raids are unjust. These are human beings, just like anyone else.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged the tension in the city: “Everyone has the right to protest peacefully,” she said on X. “But let me be clear — violence and destruction are unacceptable and will be prosecuted.”