Trump deploys 2,000 troops to L.A. as immigration tensions rise
Shafaq News/ US President Donald Trump's administration announced plans to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles clashed with hundreds of protesters on the second day of demonstrations following immigration raids.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that active-duty forces, including Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, could be mobilized if violence intensifies. “They are on high alert,” he said, signaling the administration's willingness to escalate the federal response.
The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.Under President…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) June 8, 2025
The White House noted that Trump signed a memorandum authorizing the deployment to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.” Protesters gathered in southeast Los Angeles’ Paramount area, many waving Mexican flags, while a smaller group chanted “ICE out of L.A.!” in the downtown area on Saturday night.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the move as “purposefully inflammatory,” accusing Trump of stoking chaos for political theater. “Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,” he wrote on X.
The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.Don't give them one.Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025
Trump fired back on his Truth Social platform, stating that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs, "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!"
Tension grew as Trump’s immigration crackdown clashed with the Democratic-led city of Los Angeles, home to a large Hispanic and foreign-born population. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested at least 44 people during enforcement operations that triggered Friday night’s initial wave of protests, which the Department of Homeland Security said drew around 1,000 demonstrators.
White House aide Stephen Miller called the protests a “violent insurrection,” while Vice President JD Vance accused demonstrators of “assaulting law enforcement.” Yet, US officials confirmed to Reuters that the administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
One of the main technical issues in the immigration judicial battles is whether Biden's border crisis counted as an "invasion." So now we have foreign nationals with no legal right to be in the country waving foreign flags and assaulting law enforcement. If only we had a good…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 8, 2025
Despite legal safeguards, critics say the raids have ensnared legal residents and permanent residents alike. Bass condemned the tactics as fear-inducing. “Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning,” she said. “[We] are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward.”
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,…
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 8, 2025
Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of his second-term agenda, vowing mass deportations and a crackdown along the southern border. The White House has set a daily arrest target of 3,000 undocumented migrants.
