Los Angeles riots: National Guard deployed as protesters and police clash after immigration raids
The White House will deploy its National Guard to intervene in the Los Angeles protests as furious demonstrators continue to clash with federal agents and riot police.
'President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced.
This comes after US President Donald Trump addressed the extraordinary scenes on his Truth Social account.
'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!,' Mr Trump wrote.
Chaotic scenes erupted across seven locations on Friday night (local time) in response to raids led by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The sweep led to the arrests of at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations.
Protests escalated on Saturday in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, resulting in security agents engaging in a tense confrontation with demonstrators.
It's been reported that one protester was seen waving a Mexican flag, and some covered their mouths with respiratory masks.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that '1000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property'.
A senior White House aide Stephen Miller wrote on X that the demonstrations were 'an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States'.
The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Mr Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term.
Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day.
But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally in the country, including some with permanent residence and has led to legal challenges.
Television news footage earlier on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation.
The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, condemned the immigration raids.
'I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' Ms Bass said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this.'
The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held.
The Department of Homeland Security criticised Democratic politicians, saying their anti-ICE rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents.
'From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end,' said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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ABC News
41 minutes ago
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Why riots erupted in Los Angeles after ICE raids, and what happened next
Los Angeles is experiencing its second day of significant riots, with the National Guard being called in on Saturday night, local time. Here's a quick guide to what is going on: Everything began on Friday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including outside a clothing warehouse in the city's fashion district. A judge had found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the US Attorney's Office. A tense scene unfolded outside as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away. Advocates for immigrants' rights said there were also migration detentions outside Home Depot stores and a doughnut shop. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants, including five people linked to criminal organisations and people with prior criminal histories. The president of Service Employees International Union California, David Huerta, was arrested and charged with impeding a federal agent while protesting, the US Attorney's office said. The chief program officer for the Immigrant Defenders Law Centre said the organisation was aware of one man who was already deported back to Mexico. Dozens of protesters gathered on Friday evening outside a federal detention centre in Los Angeles where lawyers said those arrested had been taken, chanting "set them free, let them stay!" Other protesters held signs that said, "ICE out of LA!" while others led chants and shouted from megaphones. Some scrawled graffiti on the building's facade. Officers holding protective shields stood shoulder to shoulder to block an entrance. Some tossed tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. Officers wearing helmets and holding batons forced the protesters away from the building by forming a line and walking slowly down the street. Protests continued on Saturday. Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park in the city of Paramount, deploying tear gas as bystanders and protesters gathered on medians and across the street. Some jeered at officers while recording the events on smartphones. "ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are," a woman said through a megaphone. One handheld sign read, "No Human Being is Illegal." Smoke rose from burning shrubbery and rubbish in the street, and demonstrators kicked at a Border Patrol vehicle. A boulevard was closed to traffic as Border Patrol agents circulated through a community where more than 80 per cent of residents identify themselves as Latino. The California Highway Patrol said Governor Gavin Newsom had directed the agency to deploy additional officers to "maintain public safety" on state highways and roads and the agency will work to "keep the peace." Acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, more commonly known as the border czar, Tom Homan told Fox News on Saturday night the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles. US President Donald Trump said he would send 2,000 California National Guard troops to the protests. The National Guard is a state-based military force that is part of the military reserves. Typically, they are deployed on state-based missions during natural disasters. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Either the state governor or the president or the secretary of Defense can deploy the National Guard. Mr Newson has the primary authority to deploy the guard on a state level, under state active duty or Title 32 status, where the state would bear the cost. An example of this was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The guard would typically be deployed by the president or defence secretary for national emergencies, homeland defence, or federal missions under Title 10, where they take on the cost. However, they can also control the guard under the 1807 Insurrection Act when a state is unable to manage civil unrest, which former president George HW Bush did during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Yes. Mr Trump and his administration have promised mass deportations across the country. The White House set a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 immigrants a day. Mr Trump is also trying to remove birthright citizenship, which allows most residents born in the US the right to citizenship, including the children of undocumented immigrants. On top of that, Mr Trump is working to suspend habeas corpus, the constitutional right for people to legally challenge their detention by the government. One man has already been wrongly sent to detention in El Salvador, while an Australian woman was denied entry into the US despite having a valid tourist visa. ABC/Wires
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