Los Angeles turned tense this weekend after President Donald Trump’s administration announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city. The move came after federal agents clashed with protesters for a second day in a row, following aggressive immigration raids that have stirred anger and fear among many residents.
The protests broke out in the Paramount neighborhood of southeast LA, where around 100 demonstrators gathered. Some waved Mexican flags, while others wore respiratory masks as federal agents in green uniforms and gas masks formed lines across the streets. Video footage captured gas canisters going off and shopping carts flipped across the road.
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Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, confirmed the National Guard would be deployed Saturday evening during an appearance on Fox News. California Governor Gavin Newsom wasn’t having it, calling the decision “purposefully inflammatory.”
Trump, however, didn’t hold back on his Truth Social account, writing, “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!!!”
The protests have set up a direct conflict between LA’s Democratic leadership and the Trump White House, which has made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. According to census data, a significant share of LA’s population is Hispanic and foreign-born, making the federal crackdown especially charged.
As the afternoon wore on Saturday, authorities began detaining some protesters, though there was no immediate official word on how many arrests had been made. Reuters reported witnessing some of these detentions firsthand.
One protester, Ron Gochez, 44, told reporters, “Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people – they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance.”
The unrest began Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out operations across the city, arresting at least 44 individuals on immigration-related charges. According to Angelica Salas, executive director of the immigrants’ rights group Chirla, some of those detained may have legal status, but attorneys haven’t yet had access to them. “Very worrying,” she said.
Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser and known immigration hardliner, took to X (formerly Twitter), calling Friday’s protests “an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.” By Saturday, he doubled down, labeling the protests a “violent insurrection.”
The Department of Homeland Security added more fuel to the fire, releasing a statement saying that “1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property.” Reuters could not independently verify that account.
Salas said the protests sparked after ICE was spotted using a Home Depot parking lot in Paramount as a base. She also noted that ICE raids took place around stores, a garment factory, and a warehouse—locations where street vendors and day laborers were reportedly detained.
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LA Mayor Karen Bass made her stance clear, slamming the immigration operations. “I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” she said. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this.”
As of Saturday evening, ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the LAPD hadn’t responded to questions about the protests or further enforcement plans. For now, the city remains on edge.