Los Angeles ignited over weekend ICE raids. Then the National Guard arrived

Independent

4 hours ago

Los Angeles remains on high alert, after a series of immigration raids triggered mass protests and rioting, and a similarly massive police and law enforcement response.
Protests and rallies are set to continue through Monday. The Trump administration has deployed 700 Marines to join the 2,000 National Guard troops who have been authorized to join the response.
Here is a timeline of the fiery protests and a preview of what may come next.
Friday, June 6
The roots of the crisis can be traced to Friday, when immigration officials conducted a series of four operations around the Los Angeles area, including a raid at a warehouse in the Fashion District, where crowds tried to stop government vehicles from driving away, and another at a Home Depot store near downtown.
Later that afternoon, hundreds gathered around a complex of federal buildings near downtown where some of the arrested migrants were being detained, and Homeland Security officers fired pepper balls at protesters to disperse the crowd.
The Department of Homeland Security said over 1,000 had surrounded the complex, and 'assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property.'
All told, more than 100 people were arrested on Friday, federal officials said, including David Huerta, leader of the Service Employees International Union California, who federal officials accuse of impeding a government officer.
Saturday, June 7
The situation escalated again the following day, as rumors spread that ICE agents were massing in the city of Paramount, which has a large Latino population, for another Home Depot raid.
Protesters were seen kicking vehicles and throwing objects at law enforcement vehicles throughout the day, while riot police dispersed crowds with tear gas.
Police said about 350 to 400 people were gathered in the area, and protesters were seen blocking a bus identified as a U.S. Marshals vehicle.
By Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office ordered protesters there to disperse, again using tear gas to break up retreating crowds.
That evening, around 6pm, Donald Trump ordered the deployment of up to federalized 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, over the objection of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who blasted the move, saying it was 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.'
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, joined in, calling the step 'a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.'
Trump's order left open the possibility of an even more dramatic escalation, authorizing regular members of the armed forces to join in the operation, an abandonment of the military's typical non-domestic role usually only contemplated if the U.S. is under invasion.
Clashes continued throughout the night in Compton, where officers used flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets on protesters, who threw rocks, bottles, and fireworks at police. A car was also set on fire.
Across the city, officers formed a wall around the federal complex and declared the crowds there part of an unlawful assembly.
At least 29 were arrested by the end of the day.
Sunday, June 8
Early Sunday morning, the first of the National Guard troopers began arriving in the city, and 300 troops took up positions across the greater Los Angeles area, including at the federal complex that has become a hub for the clashes.
Community members expressed alarm at the massing federal and local law enforcement.
'Send in the National Guard — for what?' Gabby Buenrostro, 46, told The Washington Post as they set off for the federal complex on Sunday morning. 'We have a right to protest.'
By the afternoon, hundreds of protesters had gathered there, and California National Guardsmen, DHS agents, ICE officers, and police formed a line, attempting to clear out protesters using pepper balls, tear gas, and crowd-control munitions.
While many of the demonstrators there were peaceful, some threw objects at the riot police.
Hundreds of protesters also spilled out onto the 101 freeway, where activists temporarily blocked traffic.
The California Highway Patrol used tear gas to clear the road itself, arresting 17, but crowds remained on nearby walkways, jeering at officers below as some demonstrators threw concrete, scooters, and other objects at police.
Though protests were not geographically widespread, clashes continued through the night, and Waymo self-driving taxis were vandalized, with many set on fire.
All told, a combined 42 arrests were made on Sunday by the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to the LAPD.
"This violence that I've seen is disgusting," Chief Jim McDonnell told NBC Los Angeles of the weekend's confrontations. "It's escalated now. What we saw the first night was bad. What we've seen subsequent to that is getting increasingly worse and more violent."
McDonell said the violence had overwhelmed local police, who had been attacked with commercial fireworks, Molotov cocktails, and broken cinderblocks.
What happens next?
The tension looks set to continue into this week, as more events are planned around Los Angeles on Monday, though much of downtown remains blocked off to demonstrations. The Trump administration has ordered 700 Marines to join in the federal response.
The state of California has also sued over Trump's use of the state's National Guard, which California officials say went forward despite their objections.
The political sparring over the protests shows no sign of abating either, as supporters of the president blame California leaders for the chaos in L.A.
'President Trump didn't start these riots,' Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco wrote on X on Sunday. 'He's not out there lighting cars on fire, hurling projectiles at law enforcement or blocking freeways. This statement is an embarrassment and does nothing to diffuse the violent riots taking place across the city. The Democrats and their 'leaders' own this.'