By Steve Neavling
President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the weekend as protests erupted in response to immigration raids carried out by federal agents, prompting criticism from state and local leaders.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon could mobilize active-duty troops from nearby Camp Pendleton “if violence continues,” and confirmed that Marines were on high alert, Reuters reports. Protesters clashed with federal security forces in the Paramount area on Saturday, with video showing clouds of tear gas and overturned shopping carts. A smaller demonstration downtown drew chants of “ICE out of L.A.!”
The protests followed Friday night’s immigration raids, during which at least 44 people were arrested, according to federal authorities. The Department of Homeland Security claimed there were 1,000 protesters Friday night, but that figure could not be independently verified. Immigration rights groups said lawyers have not been able to access detainees, raising concerns about due process.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the raids and the troop deployment.
“These tactics sow terror in our communities,” Bass said.
Newsom accused Trump of creating “a spectacle” and called the threat to deploy active-duty troops “deranged behavior.”
Trump defended the crackdown, writing on Truth Social that “if Newsom and Mayor Bass can’t do their jobs,” the federal government would intervene to “solve the problem.”
White House aide Stephen Miller labeled the demonstrations a “violent insurrection,” though no official arrests were reported Saturday night.
ICE, DHS, and LAPD declined to comment on the raids or the protests.
