LA Protests Turn Violent As Governor Accuses Trump Of Manufacturing The Crisis

LOS ANGELES, CA — National Guard troops arrived in downtown Los Angeles Sunday morning to the relatively quiet streets of Los Angeles after two days of immigration raids and protests, but within hours, the tension boiled over and protests turned violent.

President Donald Trump ordered the soldiers' deployment over the protests of Gov. Gavin Newsom, California's congressional leaders and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Basss. On Sunday, Newsom demanded Trump rescind the “unlawful deployment” of National Guard troops “and return them to my command.”

The protests on Friday, started out tame by recent standards in Los Angeles County with small numbers of demonstrators and no freeway closures, prompting local leaders to question the legitimacy of the president's order to send in the National Guard. Federal officers in military gear deployed flash bombs and tear gas, and some protestors threw clumps of concrete at officers and set shopping carts on fire. Each day since, however, the violence has escalated.

By Sunday evening, protesters shut down a freeway, set vehicles on fire and attempted to create a makeshift blockade. Thousands took to the streets.

Now, 500 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines are prepared to deploy and assist the National Guard troops on the ground, according to NBC News.

Police faced off with angry protesters as they tried to protect the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and the Metropolitan Detention Center on Alameda Street downtown.

The Los Angeles Police Department went on Tactical Alert, declared an unlawful assembly in the area of Alameda Street between Second and Aliso streets and battled with more than 1,000 demonstrators who marched from Boyle Heights to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building.

Troops on horseback, ground and air resources were deployed with less- lethal munitions to combat the protesters.

Around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, protesters used pink chairs, possibly from nearby Grand Park in an attempt to establish barricades in multiple locations, including Spring and Temple streets, outside City Hall and LAPD Headquarters. Meanwhile, officers were trying to dismantle them.

Nearby, police on horseback established a skirmish line and were launching tear gas to maintain their position.

Meanwhile, black smoke emanated from about a half-dozen Waymo driver- less cars that were summoned to Los Angeles Street only to be destroyed and set on fire. Authorities allowed the vehicles to burn themselves out rather than send in firefighters to extinguish them. "Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," officials stated.

Arrests were reported as some protesters threw bottles and other objects at officers and attempted to breach police lines.

Two people riding motorcycles were detained after they allegedly attempted to breach a skirmish line at the intersection of Alameda and Temple streets and injured two officers, according to the LAPD.
The officers were being treated at the scene by medical personnel and said to be in stable condition.
Demonstrators walked onto the Hollywood (101) Freeway, disrupting traffic and prompting a temporary closure through the downtown area.

Newsom accused the president of provoking the situation on purpose.

"Last night, President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, using the excuse of protests against his immigration raids. Let me be totally clear about what is happening here. We have been working closely with law enforcement. There is no unmet need. The president is attempting to inflame passions and provoke a response," Newsom wrote.

"He would like nothing more than for this provocative show of force -- and Pete Hegseth's absurd threat to deploy United States Marines on American soil -- to escalate tensions and incite violence.

"These are not people who have some deep conviction about protecting law enforcement. This is a President who failed to call up the National Guard when it was actually needed -- on January 6th -- and then pardoned the participants as one of his first acts as president.

"They want a spectacle. They want the violence. They think this is good for them politically. That is why White House aides were posting pictures of Trump getting popcorn last night. This is not the way a civilized country behaves. It is completely deranged behavior.

"To the people of Los Angeles and across the country who are protesting these immigration raids: Don't give them the spectacle they want. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully and in large numbers. I know many of you have been watching the news about this, so I thought it important to reach out."

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department ordered protesters to disperse, declaring the protests an unlawful assembly and issuing a citywide tactical alert. Demonstrators began throwning pieces of concerete at officers.

On Sunday morning, at least three separate ICE protests deemed peaceful by the Los Angeles Police Department had begun around the county.

Over strenuous objection from local Democratic officials, troops arrived at downtown's Federal Building around 4 a.m. Sunday.

"@TheCalGuard 79th IBCT has deployed approximately 300 soldiers to 3 separate locations in the greater Los Angeles area. They are conducting safety and protection of federal property & personnel," the U.S. Northern Command posted at 9:07 a.m. Sunday.

"The National Guard is present and actively protecting federal assets in Los Angeles," U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X. "Anyone thinking about showing up to damage federal property or to assault our agents, think again."

Some of the troops were stationed outside Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, one of several sites that have seen confrontations involving hundreds of demonstrators and federal law enforcement in the last two days.

As the guards stood around a federal complex, dressed in tactical gear and carrying long guns, the surrounding streets had been largely quiet, with just a handful of protesters gathered on a sidewalk.

The move came over the objections of Newsom, who accused Trump of a “complete overreaction." It marked the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

The arrival of the guard follows two days of relatively small protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton.

As federal agents set up a staging area near a Home Depot in Paramount, demonstrators sought to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, federal agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls. Los Angeles police said dozens were arrested.

Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100. A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement.

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.

On Sunday morning, the LAPD's Central Division said the following three demonstrations are occurring, and are all peaceful:

• non-permitted at Olvera Street.
• non-permitted at a federal facility on Alameda.
• permitted in front of Central Division.

Video posted by the Los Angeles Times showed a line of armed National Guard members protecting the Federal Building on Sunday morning, which was heavily defaced with graffiti.

The Presidential Memorandum posted Saturday on the White House website ordered the deployment of the Guard in light of "numerous incidents of violence and disorder [which] ... threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws."

The order states, in part that "The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal service shall be at least 2,000 National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense.

"In addition, the Secretary of Defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he has placed U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton in San Diego on "high alert" to be deployed if needed.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that the purpose of the deployment was to “provide security for operations and to make sure that there are peaceful protests.”

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.

Newsom, a Democrat, described Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard as a “provocative show of force” that would only escalate tensions, adding that Hegseth’s threat to deploy Marines on American soil was “deranged behavior.”

Bass echoed some of those thoughts in an interview with KTLA5.

"I'm very disappointed that he chose to do this, because it's just not necessary," Bass told the station Sunday morning. "There was protests last night in Los Angeles -- my understanding is that there were about 120 protesters. Several of them did commit acts of vandalism, but there was nothing that was happening in downtown Los Angeles that the Los Angeles Police Department could not manage to deal with, so to me, this is completely unnecessary, I think it's the administration just posturing. To have 100 troops in Westwood, where nothing had happened at all, and 100 downtown is just overreach."

Bass said she spoke to high-level officials in the Trump administration, including "border czar" Tom Holman, before the Guard was deployed, and "expressed to them that things were not out of control in the city of Los Angeles. Paramount has some issues, but I doubt very seriously that there's a need for the National Guard there either."

Bass said she told Holman, "If you want there to be chaos, then have troops on the ground when there is absolutely no need for that to happen."

Holman, meanwhile, told NBC News that elected officials could be open to federal prosecution if they're found to be impeding law enforcement.

"It's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job," Holman said.

"... I don't think she's crossed the line yet," he said of Bass.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the order by Trump reflected “a president moving this country rapidly into authoritarianism” and “usurping the powers of the United States Congress.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, endorsed the president’s move, doubling down on Republicans’ criticisms of California Democrats.

“Gavin Newsom has shown an inability or an unwillingness to do what is necessary, so the president stepped in,” Johnson said.

The chaos began with a series of immigration enforcement raids Friday that sparked demonstrations featuring dozens of arrests and profane and threatening graffiti left on government buildings, and continued Saturday with violent protests in Paramount during the day and in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

Despite the unruly crowds, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said federal reinforcements were not needed.

Newsom, who typically only deploys the California National Guard upon request from local law enforcement, accused Trump of a takeover without a "legitimate need."

"The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers," Newsom posted on social media. "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.

"L.A. authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust."

The LAPD announced that multiple people had been detained overnight after they "reentered the area of the Unlawful Assembly and against the Dispersal Order" following Saturday skirmishes on Alameda Street -- between Aliso and Temple streets -- which led to the demonstration being shutdown.

Also Saturday, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said it arrested two people for an alleged assault on a peace officer. An unidentified source told the Los Angeles Times the arrests were made after three deputies were struck and sustained minor injuries from a thrown Molotov cocktail.

Saturday's protest in Paramount, near the Home Depot at 6400 Alondra Blvd., escalated throughout the day, with many in the crowd turning over shopping carts and other objects that were left in the street, while federal authorities in riot gear stood by. The street filled with smoke from tear gas canisters, and at least one protester could be seen on the ground bleeding in news footage, though the nature of the apparent injury wasn't clear.

The Los Angeles Times reported that one protester set fire to a United States flag, and Fox11 posted video showing one of the station's news vehicles with slashed tires and smashed windows, and one man in a yellow helmet was seen in video footage throwing large rocks at vehicles driving through the area.

At one point, a Blackhawk helicopter landed on a Paramount street and was unloaded with what appeared to be large amounts of weapons and ammunition. Video from ABC7 showed the resupply effort near a Department of Homeland Security office at 6321 Alondra Blvd. at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. The office reportedly was being used as a staging area for immigration raids.

Trump addressed the situation in a social media post at 11:41 p.m. Saturday.

"Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest," Trump posted at 11:41 p.m. Saturday "We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal permitting is complete!), unable to to handle the task.

"These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED. Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!"

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials posted photos of some of the aftermath of the protests Saturday, which they claimed showed "death threats and profane language spray painted on taxpayer-owned property and walkways littered with objects that had been hurled at federal law enforcement."

" ... Despite what you may be hearing, the record checks show that we arrested illegal aliens with criminal histories including: child cruelty, domestic violence, drug trafficking, assault, robbery and human smuggling," the agency added.

City News Service, the Associated Press and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.