U.S. President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops — despite the governor’s objections — to the Los Angeles area, where protests on Saturday led to clashes between immigration authorities and demonstrators.
The White House said in a statement Saturday that Trump was deploying the National Guard to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester” in California.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the move and said in a post on X the move from the Republican president was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
The White House’s move to dramatically ratchet up the response came as protests in Paramount, Calif., extended into a second day with tear gas and smoke filling the air as protesters faced off with Border Patrol personnel in riot gear.
Trump federalized part of the state’s National Guard under what is known as Title 10 authority, which places him, not the governor, atop the chain of command, Newsom told The Associated Press.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement the work the immigration authorities were doing when met with protest is “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.”
The president’s move came shortly after he issued a threat on his social media network that said if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass didn’t “do their jobs,” then “the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
Newsom said in his statement on social media that local authorities “are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” and “there is currently no unmet need.”
“This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust,” he added.
‘ICE out of Paramount’
Earlier, U.S. Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park in Paramount — roughly 29 kilometres south of Los Angeles — deploying tear gas as bystanders and protesters gathered on medians and across the street, some jeering at authorities while recording the events on smartphones.
“ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are,” a woman announced through a megaphone, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “You are not welcome here.”
One hand-held sign said, “No Human Being Is Illegal.”
Smoke rose from burning shrubbery and refuse in the street, and demonstrators kicked at a Border Patrol vehicle. A boulevard was closed to traffic as Border Patrol agents circulated through the area.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a message on social media addressing “L.A. rioters” and warning that interference with immigration enforcement will not be tolerated.
ICE officers executed search warrants at multiple locations on Friday, including outside a clothing warehouse in the fashion district. The action came after a judge found probable cause the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A tense scene unfolded outside as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away.
Advocates for immigrant rights say people were detained on Friday by immigration authorities outside Home Depot stores and a doughnut shop.
Homeland Security said in a statement that recent ICE operations in the Los Angeles area resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants.
‘Set them free, let them stay’
Following the arrests on Friday, protesters gathered in the evening outside a federal detention centre in Los Angeles, where lawyers said those arrested had been taken, chanting “Set them free, let them stay!”
Some held signs with anti-ICE slogans, and others scrawled graffiti on the building.
Among those arrested at the protests was David Huerta, regional president of the Service Employees International Union. Justice Department spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy confirmed that Huerta was being held on Saturday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled Monday court appearance.
It wasn’t clear whether Huerta had legal representation.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for his immediate release. In a social media post, he cited a “disturbing pattern of arresting and detaining American citizens for exercising their right to free speech.”
The immigration arrests come as U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration push to fulfil promises of mass deportations across the country.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meant to “sow terror” in the nation’s second-largest city.
In a statement on Saturday, ICE acting director Todd Lyons chided Bass for the city’s response to protests.
“Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement,” Lyons said in a statement. “Make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens.”
