
Everything we know about the LA riots and what led to them
Photos from LA this weekend have been compared to scenes from Grand Theft Auto, with cars torched, projectiles hurled at police, and protesters shot with rubber bullets.
It comes less than six months after deadly wildfires spread through California's largest city, ripping through elite postcodes and burning down mansions.
Donald Trump has called to 'send in the troops!' to quell the disorder, even as the state governor blamed him for 'inflaming tensions', saying things were under control until he intervened.
State governor Gavin Newsom said he would be taking the president to court for 'commandeering' the state National Guard, which he called 'illegal and immoral'.
Let's get this straight:1) Local law enforcement didn't need help.2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence.3) Trump succeeded.4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess. https://t.co/g6bwwZ29fc — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
He claimed Trump was 'hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control' and urged: 'Los Angeles: don't take Trump's bait.'
The White House hit back as the row intensified, with spokesperson Abigail Jackon saying: 'It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved.'
They were sparked by sweeping immigration raids, as the president tries to fulfill his quota of arresting 3,000 suspected illegal migrants every day.
In his inaugural address, Trump said: 'We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.'
He is ramping up the raids as well as the rhetoric, sending ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) into workplaces thought to employ undocumented migrants.
Protests in LA began on Friday night and continued throughout the weekend.
A significant flashpoint was sparked by officials being seen outside a branch of Home Depot hardware store, in the mainly Latino suburb of Paramount.
As fears grew that they planned to raid the store, passing drivers began honking horns, as protesters gathered and the situation escalated.
Border patrol officials fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades at those gathered, who were themselves throwing rocks and other objects and demanding they leave the area.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
After seeing dramatic footage of the rioting here and elsewhere, Trump claimed police had lost control and National Guard troops should be sent in, something which further inflamed tensions, it was claimed.
LA is not the only US city to see protests in response to the immigration crackdown.
Protesters have come out against it nationwide, saying it will tear families apart and criticising a policy being rolled back which previously restricted officers' abilities to arrest undocumented immigrants at 'sensitive' locations, such as schools, churches and hospitals.
The main hotspots have been in downtown LA, Paramount, and neighbouring Compton.
Protests continued into Sunday evening in Paramount, with several hundred demonstrators gathered near a doughnut shop, and authorities holding up barbed wire to keep the crowd back.
Crowds also gathered again outside federal buildings in central Los Angeles, including a detention centre, where police declared an unlawful assembly and began to arrest people.
Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria was among celebrities posting about the riots. More Trending
Sharing a post from Gavin Newsom describing the threat to deploy Marines as 'deranged', she added that it was 'Un-American' while also sharing a video of a woman being separated from her child during an ICE raid.
Meanwhile, Billie Eilish's brother Finneas has claimed that he was tear-gassed by the National Guard at a 'very peaceful' protest in Los Angeles.
The singer-songwriter, 27, took to social media to detail his experience, sharing his message to more than four million followers on Instagram.
'Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown – they're inciting this,' he wrote.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Full list of 12 countries on Donald Trump's travel ban that starts today
MORE: Violence spirals out of control across LA after Trump says 'bring in the troops'
MORE: Elon Musk has 'PTSD' after leaving White House, his dad says
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The eye-popping amount of taxpayer dollars flowing to group behind LA ICE riots before Kristi Noem stepped in
The U.S Department of Homeland Security has reportedly terminated the flow of taxpayer dollars to one of the groups at the center of the fiery riots that took place in Los Angeles over the weekend. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is behind the wild anti-ICE riots that led to President Trump sending in the National Guard over the weekend. The group was slated to receive $450,000 from the from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services subagency between October of 2023 and September of 2025. The funds were earmarked for 'citizenship instruction and naturalization services.' In March, DHS sent a letter terminating the remainder of the groups contract which had not yet been paid out, to the tune of $100,936. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs shared the contract termination letter in a post on X Sunday afternoon. The group had already been awarded two separate grants of $250,000 under the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022. Angelica Salas, the group's executive director, who spoke at one of the ICE protests over the weekend, has seen her compensation nearly double in recent years. At the end of the 2022 fiscal year, Salas earned $125,500. In the 2023 fiscal year, which is the most recently available data, Salas earned $201,654. Yet, the federal funds are far from the only taxpayer dollars funneled to the immigrant rights group. A man holds signs as a Waymo vehicles burn, as protesters clash with law enforcement in the streets surrounding the federal building during a protest following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025 Out of the $44 million noted as received by CHIRLA in the group's 2023 IRS Form 990, over $33 million total was received from government grants. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump took control of 2,000 California National Guard troops and deployed them to Los Angeles to quell the civil unrest. Under @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem we terminated this in March. — Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) June 8, 2025 Representative Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.) who represents Paramount, the LA County community where the riots have taken place, said during a CNN appearance Sunday that the National Guard troop deployment was not needed, and that the sheriffs on the ground 'have the manpower that they need.' Barragan also said that the president was 'causing tensions to rise.' 'It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement,' Barragan added. 'We are having an administration that's targeting peaceful protests, people that are there to protest. The president is sending in the National Guard because he doesn't like the scenes. He doesn't like the scenes of people peacefully protesting,' Barragan stated. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem didn't directly answer a question from CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday when asked wether or not she would support the calling up of active duty service members to deal with the rioters in Los Angeles. Noem told Brennan that the National Guard troops sent to LA were 'there at the direction of the president in order to keep peace and allow people to be able to protest, but also to keep law and order. That is incredibly important to the president,' Noem added. Brennan then questioned the secretary on wether or not she would counsel the president to deploy active duty troops to Los Angeles. Noem replied that 'the advice and counsel of the attorney general, the Department of Defense are extremely important to the president of the United States, and we never discuss our personal conversations and advice to the president of the United States.' 'He makes the decisions. He is the president that sits in that seat, and we are all very proud to work for him,' Noem concluded.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Newsom mocked for posting 'war room' photo during LA protests
California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire after posting a 'war room' style photo of officials meeting while Los Angeles was being torched by rioters. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of LA for a third day on Sunday to protest President Donald Trump 's crackdown on illegal immigration. Rioters looted downtown businesses, blocked off a major freeway, set self-driving cars on fire and wreaked havoc on the city. Newsom, however, was meeting with state emergency officials, LA police and the LA County Sheriff's Department as the chaos unfolded. Sharing a photo of the meeting on social media, he said authorities had gathered to 'respond to protests provoked by chaos from Washington'. The Democrat further blamed the president for the riots, saying: 'We're here to keep the peace - not play into Trump's political games.' But his remark was quickly met with backlash as outraged citizens branded him a 'clown' and begged him to 'stop escalating the situation'. But social media users blasted Newsom and his war room crew for seemingly doing nothing while the city descended into chaos. 'Looks like you're there for the photo op,' one posted to X. 'This clown thought it was a good idea to show him in his control room with two televisions broadcasting his streets on fire,' echoed another. 'You probably have no idea what to do so "let's take a photo and release it",' added another. Newsom was also slammed for placing blame on Trump when state and local officials were 'absolutely failing at keeping the peace'. 'Blaming ICE for the riots for simply doing their job? You're a disgrace,' one X user wrote. Another echoed: 'People choose to commit crimes. DC didn't make them do it. That's the problem with Democrats. You never accept responsibility for your actions.' 'You are trash. This isn't the result of "Washington." This is the result of your failed leadership and failed policies. You have destroyed California!' added another. 'If you're not here to play political games, why the bit about "protests provoked by chaos from Washington"? Sounds like you're playing political games,' one said. Others urged Newsom to 'resign immediately', with some even going as far as calling for his arrest. 'Says he's not here to play political games, plays political games,' on X user wrote. 'Gavin you should be in jail.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard and condemned protesters who became violent. 'I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily,' she told a press conference Sunday. Trump has demanded that both Newsom andBass apologize for the riots, insisting that those involved were not 'peaceful protesters' as the duo had claimed. Newsom said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful. He said in an interview with MSNBC that Trump 'has created the conditions' around the protests and accused the president of trying to manufacture a crisis and of violating California's state sovereignty. He called Trump's order 'serious breach of state sovereignty' and demanded the president to rescind the order and 'return control to California'. He urged protesters to stay peaceful and warned that those who instigate violence will be arrested, saying on social media: 'Don't take Trump's bait.' Newsom also accused Trump of 'putting fuel on this fire' and vowed to to sue his administration over the deployment. 'Commandeering a state's National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral,' he said on X. 'California will be taking him to court .' Earlier on Sunday, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed. The US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS program 'Face the Nation' that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. Police declared all of downtown Los Angeles to be an unlawful assembly area Sunday night and ordered protesters to go home after a third day of violence. The unrest in Los Angeles has become a major flashpoint in Trump's signature effort to clamp down on illegal immigration. He calls the protesters insurrectionists. The president has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the border enforcement agency ICE a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants. Several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. Los Angeles police said some protesters had thrown concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police. Police declared several rallies to be unlawful assemblies and later extended that to include the whole downtown area. Officers on horseback tried to control the crowds, but demonstrators shouted 'shame on you!' and appeared to throw objects at the officers, footage showed. One group even blocked the 101 Freeway, a major downtown thoroughfare. McDonnell said Sunday evening that people had a right to protest peacefully but the violence he had seen by some was 'disgusting' and the protests were getting out of control. Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night, adding arrests were continuing. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the demonstrators 'violent, insurrectionist mobs' and said he was directing his cabinet officers 'to take all such action necessary' to stop what he called riots. Despite Trump's language, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, 'It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active-duty troops 'if violence continues' in LA, saying Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were on high alert.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Mexican president responds to LA riots
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum fanned the flames of the ongoing riots in Los Angeles , calling Mexican migrants living the US 'heroes' while blasting the immigration polices of President Trump. Violent clashes broke out in LA after dozens of undocumented migrants were arrested Friday in raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. 'We disagree with this approach to the migration phenomenon,' Sheinbaum said during a press conference Sunday afternoon in San Andrés Cholula, Puebla. 'It's not about raids or violence, but rather working on a comprehensive reform that takes into account the Mexicans on the other side of the border,' she added. 'Mexicans living in the United States are good, honest men and women who left to seek a better life for themselves and to support their families,' she said at her press conference. 'They are not criminals.' The president also lauded the contributions of Mexicans in the Los Angeles area. 'We call for a ban on violence,' she said. 'Consuls are instructed to stay in touch with the 35 detained Mexicans and their families, and above all, to acknowledge the work of their fellow Mexicans there.' Tensions worsened in Los Angeles on Sunday as demonstrators took to the streets after Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops. Protesters marched across highways and set vehicles on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. California Governor Gavin Newsom took to X on Monday to say that he would file a lawsuit against Trump for deploying the National Guard. 'This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,' the Democrat wrote. 'The order he signed doesn't just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We're suing him.'