Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday (Jun 7) in what the White House said was an effort to quell “lawlessness”, after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids.
The US president took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, where they could face off against demonstrators. It is a rare move that Governor Gavin Newsom said was “purposefully inflammatory”.
The development came after two days of confrontations that had seen federal agents shoot flash-bang grenades and tear gas towards crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population.
Footage showed a car that had been set alight at a busy intersection, while in a video circulating on social media a man in a motorbike helmet can be seen throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles.
Protestors could be seen jeering at agents and filming them on their phones.
In other scenes, demonstrators threw fireworks at lines of local law enforcement who had been called in to try to keep the peace.
“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 said late Saturday, blaming what she called 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.”
The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and rarely in instances of civil unrest. It was deployed in Los Angeles after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry Saturday’s White House order.
“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.
“This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
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 mobilised – they are on high alert,” he wrote on social media.
Since taking office in January, Republican 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”.
Saturday’s 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.
