2,000 National Guard troops will be sent to LA amid clashes over immigration raids

Miami Herald

5 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration said it would send 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles after a second day in which protesters confronted immigration agents during raids of local businesses.
The move marks a major escalation in Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and came amid concerns from some officials in California.
The Guard has been deployed to Los Angeles previously, but it has been during widespread civil unrest, including the upheaval associated with the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd, as well as the riots that occurred after the Rodney King verdict in 1992.
Los Angeles has seen several violent clashes during the recent immigration raids, but they have been limited to isolated areas including the Home Depot in Paramount, a location in L.A.'s fashion district and at the Civic Center.
Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School, noted that when the National Guard was sent to L.A. before, it was because we as a state requested it and it was coordinated.
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley Law School, said in a text to the Los Angeles Times that Trump has the authority under the Insurrection Act of 1807 to federalize the national guard units of states to suppress 'any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy' that 'so hinders the execution of the laws.'
But he called the move very troubling. Such deployment typically happen during 'extreme circumstances... here it seems it was an early response. And I fear that it is to send a message to protesters of the willingness of the federal government to use federal troops to quell protests.'
In the most serious incident, a crowd gathered in Paramount in a protest that escalated over the course of the day into a fiery and tumultuous clash with federal agents.
By afternoon, the confrontation near a Home Depot at 6400 Alondra Blvd. was declared an unlawful assembly, and officials warned protesters in Spanish and English to quit the scene immediately. During the protest, at least one protester was injured, witnesses reported, and a Border Patrol official said an agent was hurt.
Meanwhile, Tom Homan, the Trump administration's 'border czar,' said officials were cracking down hard on the unrest and that the National Guard would be deployed to the city Saturday night.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed Saturday that the federal government was moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers.
Newsom criticized the federal action in a statement Saturday evening, saying that local law enforcement was already mobilized and that sending in troops was a move that was 'purposefully inflammatory' and would 'only escalate tensions.'
'(T)here is currently no unmet need,' Newsom said. 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.'
At the Paramount protest, chants of 'Fuera ICE' — ICE, get out — could be heard as flash-bang grenades deployed by federal agents lighted up the scene. The agents appeared to include members of Border Patrol, the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
A group of protesters on a street corner shouted expletives and that there was 'nothing but noise.' Shortly afterward, the grenades exploded at their feet, causing them to briefly scatter.
A Los Angeles Times reporter watched one protester gather a bag of trash and light it on fire in the middle of Alondra Boulevard, half a block from where immigration agents were gathered.
'This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County. Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning. We've been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward,' L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said after the National Guard deployment was announced.
Saturday's scene in Paramount followed raids across Los Angeles on Friday that led to the arrests of 44 people on suspicion of immigration violations, and another on suspicion of obstructing justice.
'Federal law enforcement operations are proceeding as planned this weekend in Los Angeles County,' U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X as the standoff unfolded. 'I urge the public to refrain from interfering with these lawful actions. Anyone who obstructs federal agents will face arrest and prosecution.'
In his Fox News interview, Homan, the president's former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director and now 'border czar,' made unsubstantiated claims about the people who had been arrested, saying they included child sex offenders, gang members and national security threats.
'They arrested a lot of bad people yesterday and today,' Homan said. 'We're making Los Angeles safer and Mayor (Karen) Bass ought to be thanking us for making her city safer.'
Homan also remarked that ICE agents were often wearing masks as they conducted raids because they were worried about their families being doxxed.
In Paramount, a city that is 82% Latino, protesters gathered along Alondra Boulevard Saturday after reports that ICE officers were targeting people at a Home Depot where day laborers commonly gather in search of work.
A group of protesters stationed themselves near the Alondra exit of the 710 Freeway, as a second gathered by the Home Depot.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene about 11 a.m. The department clarified in a statement that it 'was not involved in any federal law enforcement operations or actions,' and was present only to assist with traffic and crowd control.
By Saturday afternoon, bright orange shopping carts from Home Depot and a blue recycling bin were scattered across the boulevard. The air was acrid with smoke.
Federal agents deployed round after round of flash-bangs and pepper balls. Some of the projectiles struck protesters, witnesses said.
One woman among the protest group appeared to be bleeding, and another man was treated for injuries.
'There were some individuals around him throwing bricks. One of the windows got shattered and he was knocked unconscious. He seemed in a pretty bad state,' said Nico Thompson-Lleras, an attorney with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights who witnessed the incident. He said it was unclear whether the man was hit by a vehicle, a weapon or something else.
Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons, who was present at the scene, said she had not learned of any arrests at the Home Depot. She said the confrontation appeared to have started after protesters spotted immigration officers staging in a nearby business plaza where DHS has an office. She encouraged the crowd to stay calm to avoid violence.
She said she was told that the Department of Homeland Security was targeting Home Depots across the county in search of undocumented residents. But she has had little communication from federal authorities about their actions in the city she represents, which is about 4.5 square miles and home to about 57,000 people.
'We don't know what was happening, or what their target was. To think that there would be no heightening of fear and no consequences from the community doesn't sound like good preparation to me,' she said. 'Above all, there is no communication and things are done on a whim. And that creates chaos and fear.'
The city of Paramount released a statement reaffirming it was not working with ICE or assisting the immigration operations in any way.
'As a city, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all members of our community — regardless of immigration status,' the statement read.
There was no raid at the Paramount Home Depot on Saturday, a federal official told The Times.
Helicopter footage from the scene showed law enforcement vehicles blocking access as they closed the road. Border Patrol agents stood lined up. Sheriff's deputies set off flash-bangs to clear a freeway exit of protesters.
A U.S. Marshals Service bus approaching the location was surrounded by a crowd as it exited the freeway. Protesters kicked the vehicle and pushed back in an attempt to stop it, before another federal vehicle pulled up alongside the bus. An agent appeared to shoot tear gas to push the crowd back.
Lindsay Toczylowski, chief executive of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said in a post on X that ICE agents threw a teargas canister at two female attorneys with the organization, after they approached to ask calmly that they be allowed to see a warrant and observe the action.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.
'ICE has brought their terror tactics and masked agents to#Paramount this morning - in my district,' wrote U.S. Rep Nanette D. Barragán, whose district includes Paramount, in a post on X. 'This is unacceptable. We will demand answers and accountability. For those out there - please stay safe, protest peacefully, and KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.'
Protesters burned an American flag while others waved Mexican flags. Some began lining the boulevard with large cement bricks.
One immigration agent was cut on his hand from a rock that sailed through his windshield, according to a social media post by U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael W. Banks.
Federal officials struck an ominous tone.
'Multiple arrests have already been made for obstructing our operations,' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on X. 'More are coming. We are pouring through the videos for more perpetrators. You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs.'
José Luis Solache Jr., the California Assembly member who represents the Paramount area that includes the Home Depot, said he was on the way to a community event when he saw Border Patrol cars exit the freeway. He decided to turn around.
Solache said he arrived and began observing alongside other demonstrators in a peaceful effort when the agents started shooting off canisters in their direction, forcing him and others to run through the smoke. After identifying himself to agents, he tried to get information about what they were doing, but they would not answer his questions, he said.
'You see the community here, demonstrating that they don't want them here,' he said as flash-bangs went off nearby. 'Our hardworking communities are being targeted. These are hardworking families. These are not criminals. You're going to facilities where people are literally working.'
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