US National Guard Mobilised in Los Angeles Following Escalating Immigration Protests
United States President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2,000 soldiers from the California National Guard to Los Angeles, following a surge in clashes between protestors and federal immigration officers. The move comes after a second consecutive day of confrontations that showcased growing tensions around immigration enforcement in the city and surrounding areas.
Violence was reported on Saturday in the city of Paramount, a largely Latino community south of central Los Angeles. Events escalated near a Home Depot, adjacent to a Department of Homeland Security office, as officers in riot gear confronted crowds. According to reports, federal agents deployed tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper projectiles, while some in the crowd retaliated by throwing stones, concrete and setting small fires in the streets. Plumes of smoke were seen drifting above the chaotic scene, highlighting the degree of unrest.
These latest protest actions come on the heels of immigration enforcement ‘sweeps’ across Los Angeles, including visible activity in the fashion district and large retail locations. Reports suggest over 100 people have already been arrested in the city in the last week alone, fuelling concern and unrest in affected communities. A high-profile labour union leader was amongst those arrested during the demonstrations, with authorities accusing him of obstructing law enforcement activities.
President Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to LA was publicly criticised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who described the action as ‘deliberately inflammatory’. Governor Newsom warned that increasing the military presence risked amplifying tensions rather than reducing them. In a statement on social media platform X, the governor urged residents to avoid escalating the situation, noting that the federal government “wants a spectacle”.
The White House, however, insisted that the deployment was necessary to “address lawlessness that has been allowed to fester”. Uncertainty remains around the exact arrival time of the troops, but the announcement underscores the fraught relationship between federal authorities and local officials regarding immigration policy enforcement.
Heightening the sense of urgency, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth signalled that active-duty US military personnel are on standby at Camp Pendleton, a major Marine base located in southern California. He stated that if violence persists, Marines could also be deployed, noting for emphasis that they are already on high alert. This marks a significant escalation in rhetoric, showcasing just how seriously the administration views the current disturbances.
Protests and unrest were not limited to Paramount. Similar scenes of civil dissent unfolded in the neighbouring city of Compton, where at least one vehicle was set ablaze. Demonstrations persisted into the evening hours, including a large group that gathered near a doughnut shop, facing off with security forces who erected barbed wire barricades. In several other locations, local police declared unlawful assemblies and made numerous arrests as crowds confronted authorities outside federal buildings, including immigration detention centres in central Los Angeles.
Eyewitness accounts describe protestors launching fireworks, dragging shopping carts into roads, and hurling debris at departing Border Patrol vehicles. Tensions appeared highest wherever federal immigration officers were reported, with demonstrators expressing their anger and fear at what they perceive as increasingly aggressive federal immigration operations.
Bill Essayli, the US attorney for this district, stated that Saturday witnessed further arrests of individuals with outstanding deportation orders, although none were apprehended at the Home Depot in question. Homeland Security agents, he said, were based at an adjacent building and were preparing for additional operations, though full details of arrests were not immediately forthcoming.
Civic leaders in Paramount commented on the situation, with Mayor Peggy Lemons suggesting that the manner in which authorities handled this week’s enforcement actions had contributed to the unrest. “When you conduct raids and sweeps in this way, it is no surprise that the community reacts with alarm and unrest,” Lemons told reporters. Meanwhile, demonstrators continued decrying the actions of federal agencies, with chants and calls for immigration officers to leave their community.
More than a dozen protestors have now been arrested and are accused of interfering with immigration enforcement, according to updates posted on social media by Essayli. The coming days are likely to prove pivotal, as both community tension and federal resolve remain at high levels amid a national debate over immigration enforcement and the appropriate use of military resources in domestic unrest.