The administration of US President Donald Trump announced it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops as federal agents clashed with demonstrators in Los Angeles for a second consecutive day following immigration raids.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned that the Pentagon was ready to mobilize active-duty troops “if violence persists” in Los Angeles, noting that Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were “on high alert”.
Federal security agents confronted protesters in the Paramount area of southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators carried Mexican flags while others donned respiratory masks over their mouths.
A second protest in downtown Los Angeles last night drew around 60 attendees, who vocalized slogans such as “ICE out of L.A.!”
ICE officers employed tear gas and flash bang grenades to disperse protesters in Los Angeles.
“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles,” Mr. Trump commented in a post on Truth Social.
He criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for their management of the protests and recent wildfires.
Mr. Trump also stated that masks would no longer be permitted at protests “from now on”.
California Governor Gavin Newsom labeled the decision as “purposefully inflammatory”.
Mr. Newsom remarked that it was “deranged behavior” for Mr. Hegseth to be “threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens”.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, are unable to perform their duties, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will intervene and address the issues, RIOTS & LOOTERS, as it should be done!!” Mr. Trump posted yesterday on his Truth Social account.
Watch: Protesters and officers exchange fireworks and tear gas in Los Angeles.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff from California described Mr. Trump’s actions as “unprecedented”, stating that the deployment is “designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation”.
The protests highlight the conflict between the Democratic-led Los Angeles, where census data indicates a notable portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, and Mr. Trump’s Republican administration, which has made immigration enforcement a central focus of his second term.
The Trump Administration’s call for the California National Guard without the Governor’s authorization is unprecedented.
This action is aimed at inflaming tensions, inciting chaos, and escalating the situation.
If the Guard is required to restore peace, the Governor will request…
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) June 8, 2025
“Insurrectionists waving foreign flags are assaulting immigration enforcement officers, while half of America’s political leadership has deemed border enforcement as immoral,” Vice President JD Vance remarked on X.
Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, known for his stringent immigration stance, referred to the protests as a “violent insurrection”.
According to two US officials, the administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act.
One official mentioned that National Guard troops can be deployed rapidly, sometimes within 24 hours, and that the military was working to assemble the 2,000 troops.
Law enforcement agents clashed with demonstrators overnight in the Compton area of Los Angeles.
The 1807 law grants the president the authority to deploy the US military for law enforcement and to suppress civil disorder.
The last invocation of this law occurred during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor.
Later yesterday afternoon, authorities began detaining some protesters, as reported by witnesses.
Los Angeles police tweeted on X that “multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after several warnings were issued”.
No immediate official reports of arrests were available.
Video footage displayed numerous green-uniformed security personnel wearing gas masks lined up on a road littered with overturned shopping carts as small canisters discharged into gas clouds.
A car is ignited during clashes between protesters and security agents.
“Now they realize they cannot come anywhere in this country to abduct our workers and our people – they cannot do that without an organized and robust opposition,” said protester Ron Gochez, 44.
The initial wave of protests began on Friday evening following enforcement operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, leading to at least 44 arrests for alleged immigration violations.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that approximately “1,000 rioters” participated in the protests on Friday.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the immigrant rights organization Chirla, expressed concern that lawyers had not been granted access to those detained on Friday, labeling the situation “very worrying”.
LAPD makes an arrest during a demonstration in central Los Angeles yesterday.
‘Tactics sow terror in communities’ – LA Mayor.
Donald Trump has vowed to deport unprecedented numbers of individuals living illegally in the country and to secure the US-Mexico border, with the White House aiming for ICE to apprehend at least 3,000 migrants daily.
However, this extensive crackdown on immigration has also impacted individuals legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residency, leading to legal challenges.
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for commentary on the protests or potential immigration sweeps.
Television news footage on Friday showcased unmarked vehicles resembling military transports and vans filled with uniformed federal agents navigating the streets of Los Angeles as part of the immigration enforcement initiative.
Raids took place near Home Depot locations, where street vendors and day laborers were apprehended, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, according to Angelica Salas.
Karen Bass, the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids.
“I am deeply angered by what has transpired,” Mr. Bass stated. “These tactics instill fear in our communities and disrupt the fundamental principles of safety within our city. We will not tolerate this.”
