Troops arrive in LA as Trump sends National Guard to curb immigration raid protests

Members of the California National Guard arrived in the Los Angeles area Sunday morning, after President Trump activated the troops to curb protests against federal immigration raids that occured in and around the city in recent days.

Some of the demonstrations, which came in response to a spate of immigration sweeps in Los Angeles late last week, escalated into clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.

In response, the White House said Trump would deploy 2,000 National Guard members to California. In a post on social media, Trump attacked what he called “Radical Left protests” by “instigators and often paid troublemakers.”

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, deputy director of communications for Gov. Gavin Newsom, told NPR by email Sunday morning that around 300 California National Guard troops had arrived in Los Angeles.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton are on high alert and would also be mobilized “if violence continues.”

But Newsom said there was no widespread violence and added in a statement that the Trump administration is “sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves.”

Last week, actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sparked protests in multiple cities across the country, including Minneapolis and Chicago. Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement in his second term after running on a promise to conduct mass deportations.

ICE operations targeted multiple locations across the Los Angeles area, and in some cases demonstrators tried to block the transport of detained immigrants. Authorities used flash bangs, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds. One particularly contentious confrontation occurred at a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, just outside Los Angeles.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a statement that “rioters attacked federal ICE and law enforcement officers on the LA streets” and that crowds also “surrounded and attacked a federal building.”

An unknown number of people were arrested in the clashes. One of them was SEIU California president David Huerta. The union said he was injured during his arrest and later released from custody. Huerta was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will be arraigned on Monday in federal court.

ICE said in a Saturday post on X that it had arrested 118 immigrants during operations in Los Angeles last week.

Newsom said in a statement on Saturday that law enforcement assistance was available to Los Angeles authorities who requested it and that there was currently “no unmet need.” He accused the federal government of “moving to take over the California National Guard.”

Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Sunday morning that the National Guard was doing a “great job.” The National Guard can be activated by governors for local or statewide emergencies, and U.S. presidents can also call up the National Guard for federal missions, putting the force in the military chain of command.

In separate statements, the heads of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said their agencies do not participate in federal immigration enforcement actions but that they are working to maintain public safety.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on Friday that she was “angered” by immigration enforcement actions that “sow terror” in the community. “We will not stand for this,” she said.

Following some of the unrest on Saturday, Bass said in another statement that “everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable.”