President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles. The White House stated this action was an attempt to curb “lawlessness” that emerged after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids.
The US President placed California’s state military under federal control, enabling the deployment of soldiers into the country’s second-largest city, where they could confront demonstrators. This is a rare move that Governor Gavin Newsom labeled as “purposefully inflammatory.”
“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” Newsom stated on social media platform X. “We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.”
Reports indicated that federal agents clashed with agitated crowds in a Los Angeles suburb as protests extended into a second night on Saturday. Authorities reportedly deployed flash-bang grenades and shut down a section of a freeway amid ongoing raids targeting undocumented migrants.
The standoff occurred in Paramount, where demonstrators had converged near a Home Depot, which the Fox 11 news outlet reported was being utilized as a staging area by federal immigration officials.
According to news reports and social media posts, they were met by federal agents in gas masks, who launched flash-bang grenades and tear gas into the crowd.
Footage captured a car that had been set ablaze at a busy intersection, while a widely circulated video on social media showed a man in a motorbike helmet throwing rocks at accelerating federal vehicles.
In other scenes, demonstrators threw fireworks at lines of local law enforcement officers who had been summoned to maintain order.
“President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced, blaming what she termed California’s “feckless” Democratic leaders.
“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.”
This development followed two days of confrontations where federal agents had used flash-bang grenades and tear gas against crowds angered by the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a substantial Latino population.
Since assuming office in January, Republican Trump has fulfilled a promise to crack down severely on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants, whom he has controversially likened to “monsters” and “animals.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were “feeling fear” in the wake of 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 stated on X.
‘Purposefully Inflammatory’ and Legal Ramifications
The National Guard—a reserve military force—is commonly deployed in response to natural disasters, such as the aftermath of the LA fires, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, almost always with the concurrence of local politicians.
However, this was not the case on Saturday.
Newsom, a frequent antagonist of Trump and a long-standing opponent of the Republican, took to social media to condemn Saturday’s White House directive.
“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.”
US Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, confirmed that guardsmen would be in place “within the next 24 hours.”
Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth further intensified rhetoric, warning that nearby regular military forces could become involved.
“If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilised — they are on high alert,” he posted on social media.
Law professor Jessica Levinson suggested that Hegseth’s intervention appeared largely symbolic due to general legal restrictions on employing 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 explained, noting that Trump was instead 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 and White House Stance
The Department of Homeland Security reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles this week resulted in the arrest of “118 aliens, including five gang members.”
Saturday’s standoff occurred in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor stated was being used as a staging post by agents.
On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents conducted high-profile workplace raids in different parts of Los Angeles, drawing angry crowds and leading to 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 reiterated on X.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed multiple arrests following Friday’s clashes.
“You bring chaos, and we’ll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,” he asserted on X.
On Saturday, amidst chants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to withdraw, some protestors displayed Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts were improvised as roadblocks.
A crowd swarmed a US Marshals Service bus exiting a nearby freeway, prompting authorities to subsequently close on and off ramps to prevent protesters from seizing the highway and to stop more people from entering.
The White House has adopted a firm stance against the protests, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller labeling them “an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.”
Los Angeles, the second-most populous city in the United States, stands as one of the most diverse metropolises in the nation.
The suburb of Paramount, home to approximately 50,000 residents, is 82% Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census data.
