Trump sends troops to Los Angeles after immigration crackdown protests: What to know
President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, following days of protests against immigration enforcement actions in the Los Angeles area.
The rare move bypassed the consent of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and has garnered criticism from local Democrats who warned the move could further inflame tensions.
The federalizing of the California National Guard also has prompted some legal questions about the extent of the president's authority.
Here's what to know about the troop deployment:
The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested immigrants in LA's Fashion District, as well as in a Home Depot parking lot and other locations.
On Saturday, the protests spread to other areas, including Compton and Paramount, a predominantly Latino city south of LA.
As word spread of another possible ICE raid at a Home Depot in Paramount, protesters descended upon a nearby Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office. Federal authorities, however, later said that no action was planned for that location.
Federal authorities said the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the Los Angeles area rose to more than 100 — not including the arrests that took place during the protests.
The president took notice this weekend of the rowdy demonstrations, which included instances of vandalized cars and property in the greater Los Angeles areas.
He dared local authorities to respond more forcefully, noting the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had not initially been involved in responding to the protests. The LAPD also confirmed it was not involved.
Trump said Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) were to blame for the unrest that began as a result of ICE raids.
'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!!!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump on Saturday announced he authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard soldiers. By Sunday afternoon, about 300 troops were stationed in three locations in the greater Los Angeles area.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move is a result of 'violent mobs' attacking 'Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations' in recent days.
Trump said Sunday that he directed relevant Cabinet officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 'to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.'
Hegseth said Sunday morning that Marines were ready to be deployed to Los Angeles if needed.
A statement from U.S. Northern Command on Sunday indicated that approximately 500 U.S. Marines are 'in a prepared to deploy status should they be necessary to augment and support the [Defense Department's] protection of federal property and personnel efforts.'
Democrats across the country have sharply pushed back against the administration's move to federalize the National Guard.
Newsom and Bass have been particularly forceful in pushing back against the administration's efforts. Newsom warned the federal response is 'inflammatory' and said deploying soldiers 'will erode public trust.'
'LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice,' Newsom wrote in a Saturday X post. 'We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.'
Newsom's office on Sunday sent a letter to Hegseth's office asking him to rescind the order deploying armed forces into the city. He also vowed to sue the Trump administration for bypassing his consent in federalizing the California National Guard.
Bass urged protesters to remain peaceful but slammed the troop deployment as a 'chaotic escalation' amid rising tensions.
'What we're seeing in our city is chaos provoked by the Trump Administration,' Bass said in a message to Los Angeles residents late Sunday.
'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you cause fear and panic,' she added. 'And deployment of federalized troops on the heels of raids is a chaotic escalation.'
All 23 Democratic governors issued a statement Sunday afternoon slamming Trump's decision to federalize California's National Guard by using a law that hasn't been used in decades, arguing it was both unnecessary and escalatory.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris also criticized the deployment of troops in her home city of Los Angeles, calling it a 'dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.'
'This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear,' she added. 'Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process.'
She also stressed her support for peaceful protests, saying, 'I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.'
The federalization of the California National Guard represents a rare and legally murky step that bypassed Newsom's consent.
The last time the federal government mobilized National Guard members without the consent of a governor was in 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson sent guard members to Selma, Ala., to protect civil rights protesters there.
The National Guard is relatively limited in its scope, since members are deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown Los Angeles detention center where much of the unrest was centered.
The military is generally barred from carrying out domestic law enforcement duties. Declaring the Insurrection Act is seen as a potential path around those restrictions.
Trump did not rule out invoking the Insurrection Act during a gaggle with reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, but he suggested the current protests against immigration raids had not yet risen to the level of an insurrection.
Shortly after the gaggle, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social claiming that 'violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations.'
The Associated Press contributed.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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