Members of California’s National Guard began arriving in Los Angeles early Sunday, ordered by President Donald Trump to respond to escalating clashes between federal immigration authorities and protesters. These confrontations, which have involved hundreds of people over the past two days, aim to block deportations.
National Guard troops, including members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, were seen staging at the federal complex in downtown Los Angeles, which houses the Metropolitan Detention Center – one of several sites where unrest has occurred. Photos shared by the Department of Defense showed dozens of National Guard members equipped with long guns and an armored vehicle.
President Trump stated he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he described as “a form of rebellion.”
The deployment follows clashes near a Home Depot in Paramount, a city south of Los Angeles. Protesters attempting to block Border Patrol vehicles reportedly hurled rocks and chunks of cement, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, flash-bang explosives, and pepper balls. Tensions were already high after a series of immigration sweeps in the preceding days, which saw over 100 immigrant arrests in the city. A prominent union leader was arrested during a protest and accused of impeding law enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on Sunday that the National Guard would “keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order.” In a further sign of the administration’s aggressive stance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy active-duty Marines “if violence continues” in the region.
This deployment was made over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, marking the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard has been activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Newsom, a Democrat, condemned Trump’s decision as “purposefully inflammatory,” arguing it would “only escalate tensions.” He asserted that local law enforcement had “no unmet need” for federal military intervention and that the state had the demonstrations under control.
While the deployment on Sunday was initially limited to a small area in downtown Los Angeles and the broader city of 4 million remained largely unaffected, incidents of vandalism, including the setting on fire of Waymo driverless vehicles and blocking of the 101 Freeway, were reported. Los Angeles Police Department declared several areas in downtown, including the entire downtown area, an unlawful assembly. As of Sunday evening, 39 people had been arrested in total over the weekend’s protests.
