President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following widespread protests sparked by federal immigration raids. Clashes erupted in the Paramount area where demonstrators, some waving Mexican flags, protested ICE operations that detained at least 44 people. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that active-duty troops are on standby if violence continues, with Marines at Camp Pendleton on high alert.
President Trump, via a presidential memo, stated the deployment was to counter “lawlessness.” Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move as “purposefully inflammatory,” accusing Trump of creating a spectacle. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the raids, calling them terror-inducing and disruptive to community safety.
Protesters, including immigrants’ rights activists, vowed resistance, accusing ICE of targeting vulnerable communities. The protests highlight the deep divide between Trump’s hardline immigration stance and Democratic-led California’s opposition to federal crackdowns.