Agencies
LOS ANGELES
The Trump administration is deploying the California National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement operations that have resulted in some clashes between demonstrators and authorities, the White House said in a statement.
Some 300 California National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday amid a mounting face-off between city residents, its Democratic mayor and California Governor Gavin Newsom with US President Donald Trump over protests against immigration raids.
Trump signed a memorandum “deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness” in California as demonstrations opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations continue in the state, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Saturday.
“In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,” Leavitt said. “That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” Leavitt said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the Defense Department is “mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized - they are on high alert.”
Earlier, Newsom said the federal government was moving to “take over the California National Guard,” calling the move “purposefully inflammatory” and saying it will “only escalate tensions.” Newsom said local California authorities don’t need the help.
“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” he said. “We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.” Earlier on Saturday evening, Trump said in a social media post that if California lawmakers can’t “do their jobs” then the federal government will “step in and solve the problem,” but he did not provide specific details.
The protests on Saturday were centred in the city Paramount, following reports of an immigration raid occurring at that location. However, Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons later said during a news conference that agents were staging, not conducting a raid.
Those protests followed demonstrations on Friday that came in the wake of immigration enforcement operations across the city. Federal agents raided multiple workplaces in the fashion district and other areas, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, leading to hundreds of people, including children, being detained by ICE agents at the Edward Roybal Federal Building in downtown LA, the ACLU said.
Large crowds then gathered near the federal building on Friday afternoon and evening, leading to some clashes with authorities.
Video of the protests on Saturday showed Border Patrol agents posted up with many protesters across the street, yelling at them. Footage appears to show some smoke projectiles being deployed as well.
In a statement on social media, United States Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said several arrests had been made on Saturday for alleged assaults on federal agents.
