National Guard deployed to Los Angeles amid chaotic protests
The National Guard has arrived in Los Angeles after days of civil unrest following pro-migrant riots across the Californian city. Images have emerged of troops on the ground in the downtown area of the city ahead of an expected demonstration near City Hall later today.
President Trump has said he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called 'a form of rebellion.' The president had actually congratulated the National Guard on doing a 'great job' in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning, although they hadn't arrived yet. Early Sunday, the deployment was limited to a small area in downtown Los Angeles, with the rest of the city of 4 million people largely unaffected.
Their arrival follows days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount and neighboring Compton. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned on Saturday that 'active duty Marines' were on 'high alert' as the riots created havoc on the streets. On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the National Guard would 'keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order.'
The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a social media post from the Department of Defense that showed dozens of National Guard members with long guns and an armored vehicle. Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump on Friday night and they spoke for about 40 minutes, according to the governor´s office. It was not clear if they spoke Saturday or Sunday. Newsom described Trump's decision to call in the National Guard as a 'provocative show of force' that would only escalate tensions.
He added that Hegseth's threat to deploy Marines on American soil was 'deranged behavior.' The Los Angeles Police Department warned rioters on Saturday night that the use of non-lethal munitions has been authorized. 'The Incident Commander has authorized the use of less lethal munitions to be deployed,' the LAPD Central Division wrote on X , urging people to 'leave the area' as non-lethal weapons 'can cause pain and discomfort.' The threats to use force came as activists set cars on fire and threw rocks and flaming projectiles at the authorities. 'We are going to bring the National Guard in tonight,' Tom Homan, President Trump's point man on border security, said on Fox News on Saturday evening. We are making Los Angeles safer. Mayor (Karen) Bass should be thanking us.'
Federal agents clashed with angry protestors in the Los Angeles area for a second day Saturday, shooting flash-bang grenades into the crowd just after 4pm, shutting part of a freeway amid raids on undocumented migrants. The standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators had gathered near a Home Depot that was being used as a staging area by federal immigration officials. They were met by federal agents in riot gear and gas masks. The mob was warned to leave in both Spanish and English. Tear gas and smoke filled the air as confrontations between immigration authorities and demonstrators extended into a second day.
The agents appeared to include members of Border Patrol, the US Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations. By Saturday night federal agents reported having arrested more than a dozen 'agitators who impeded agents in their ability to conduct law enforcement operations. In his Fox News interview, Homan said those arrested included child sexual offenders, gang members and national security threats. 'They arrested a lot of bad people yesterday and today,' Homan asserted. 'We're making Los Angeles safer.'
Homan also remarked that ICE agents were often wearing masks as they conducted raids because they were worried about their families being doxxed. Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park in 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. On Saturday, amid chants for ICE agents to get out, some protestors waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire.
Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts from Home Depot served as crude roadblocks. A crowd swarmed a US Marshals Service bus exiting a nearby freeway, with authorities later closing on and off ramps to keep protesters from taking over the highway. Smoke rose from burning shrubbery and refuse in the street, and demonstrators kicked at a Border Patrol vehicle. A boulevard was closed to traffic as Border Patrol agents circulated through the area. The immigration raids are part of Trump 's ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigrants. DHS said in a statement that recent ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants.
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