National Guard troops clash with protesters in Los Angeles after Trump order

A small number of protesters gathered at the scene, along with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a Democrat, who demanded entry to the facility.

On Saturday (Sunday AEST), 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”.

He directed US Northern Command to assume control of the National Guard and dispatch 2000 soldiers to the area “for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defence,” the White House said in a statement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who said he was not consulted on the decision, condemned the deployment as a “complete overreaction” by Trump, intended to stoke tensions.

“The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate,” the Democrat wrote in a post on X. “That is not the way any civilised country behaves.”

Footage aired by TV network KABC showed uniformed troops arriving early on Sunday outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles.

The deployed troops are part of the California National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, primarily a combat unit, though it has previously been called up to support civilian authorities, and a unit that most recently responded to the LA-area wildfires earlier this year.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday (Sunday AEST) that Marines could be sent next if protests intensify. Newsom called Hegseth’s suggestion of deploying the Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton “deranged”. Hegseth countered overnight that Newsom had allowed violence to get out of hand.

“Deranged = allowing your city to burn & law enforcement to be attacked,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement].”

Facing mounting pressure from the White House, ICE has ramped up arrests in recent weeks, averaging about 2000 detentions a day nationwide, still falling short of the administration’s goal of at least 3000 daily arrests.

The stepped-up enforcement is part of Trump’s vow to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history. In the Los Angeles area, ICE reported 118 arrests this week, though the agency has not released updated figures as of Sunday morning.

Los Angeles police said on Sunday that officers were actively monitoring protests and guarding civic buildings alongside the Guard.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has stressed that they’re not working with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement and said the department follows a long-standing policy that bars officers from stopping people solely to determine their immigration status.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions,” the department said in a statement on X. “However, vandalising property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful.”

The protests were triggered in part by federal immigration raids that swept through the city from late on Friday. Demonstrators gathered outside the federal building downtown, including outside a detention centre. Other protests broke out in Compton and in Paramount, a Latino area south of the city, where a crowd formed near a Home Depot as raids were reportedly underway.

Tensions escalated when demonstrators sought to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement, prompting the Los Angeles Police Department to declare an unlawful assembly and order the crowd to disperse, according to local media reports. Riot police used tear gas and flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls.

Immigration advocates have been holding regular peaceful protests in downtown Los Angeles against Trump’s enforcement crackdown, with one planned for Sunday at 2pm local time (7am AEST).

Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, a Democrat whose district includes Paramount and other parts of Los Angeles County, accused the Trump administration of using federal troops to suppress dissent. By the time the more violent skirmishes broke out Saturday night, the original protesters had already cleared out, and the “unruly folks” had arrived, she said.

“It’s going to escalate the situation,” she said on CNN’s State of the Union overnight. “People are going to protest because they’re angry about the situation. And we have to just reiterate, the people to do it peacefully.”

Barragan described ICE agents stopping “anybody at a bus stop that’s going to shop” and said she was warned to expect 30 days of stepped-up enforcement.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said the order by Trump to deploy the Guard 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.

‘Form of Rebellion’

Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding to cities and states that limit co-operation with federal immigration authorities – so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions – including Los Angeles. California law bars local law enforcement from using resources to assist in most federal immigration actions.

In response to past federal crackdowns, California Attorney-General Rob Bonta has defended the state’s sanctuary policies and sued the Trump administration over attempts to force local compliance, arguing that California has the right to set its own public safety priorities.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump border czar Tom Homan said Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should be thanking the president for helping to restore order. Homan warned the leaders could face arrest if they obstructed immigration enforcement efforts.

The White House said the National Guard was being deployed to protect federal personnel and property, including immigration detention centres, citing what Trump described as credible threats of violence that could obstruct enforcement efforts and “constitute a form of rebellion” against the US government.

But the legal basis for the decision could face challenges. Federal law strictly limits the deployment of federal troops within US borders.

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, along with amendments and supporting regulations, generally bars the use of the active-duty US military – the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines – from carrying out domestic law enforcement. The law doesn’t apply to state-controlled National Guard forces.

Loading

Bloomberg, AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.