Los Angeles dominates national headlines this Sunday morning after President Trump signed an executive order authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city.
Governor Gavin Newsom characterized the situation as federal overreach, stating that the government was deploying National Guard troops “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle”.
On Friday, June 6, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with other federal agencies, executed search warrants and conducted raids at multiple locations across the city, including clothing warehouses in the Fashion District and sites where day laborers gather, such as Home Depot stores. These operations resulted in the arrest of at least 44 people for immigration violations and one additional person for obstruction.
Word quickly spread that some detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of a federal building downtown, which drew crowds of demonstrators to the area and led to tense confrontations with law enforcement. Protests also erupted in other locations, including the city of Paramount, after reports of ongoing federal immigration operations there.
California Rep Jimmy Gomez went to the Roybal Federal Building to demand transparency and accountability from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE. Gomez and other lawmakers were denied entry to the federal building. He stated publicly that they were not allowed inside “for their safety” and insisted on their right, as members of Congress, to inspect the facility and see the conditions in which people were being held. Gomez emphasized that, unless martial law is declared, lawmakers still have the legal right to enter such facilities.
“These are very disturbing reports from LA’s Roybal Federal Building. Law-abiding asylum seekers — many with kids — are being detained after showing up for routine ICE check-ins. No food. No water. Locked in holding rooms for over 12 to 24 hours,” Gomez wrote in a press release.
“These are not criminals. These are families who followed the rules. Filed the paperwork. Showed up on time. Instead, they’re being treated like they broke the law just for seeking asylum.
“One attorney reports her client was held without food or water from 2pm through the next day. His wife and 2 kids waited 12+ hours with nothing. No water. No explanation.
“Overcrowding is so bad that women and children are being forced to sleep outside in tents. Meanwhile, the lights in the building shut off at 5pm. Families are sitting in pitch black.
“A 20-year-old woman is being held alone. Her mother was detained in transit. They’ve been checking in with ICE for years. Their asylum process was legal and based on abuse. They were days from a court date. Now—they’re detained, separated, and with their future in limbo.
“According to attorneys on site, ICE claims it can detain people indefinitely even if they have a legal stay. That means even if a court says they can’t be deported, ICE keeps them locked up anyway.
“This isn’t ‘just how the system works.’ This is a system breaking people. Bureaucracy weaponized against those who complied.
“DHS—I demand to go in to get answers. We need to know why law-abiding asylum seekers are being detained, separated, and treated like criminals.”
Responding to social media posts and calls for protests from advocacy groups, demonstrators blocked entrances and exits to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, chanted pro-immigrant slogans, and demanded the release of those arrested. Some spray-painted anti-ICE messages on the building.
Additional protests were held at the sites of the raids, particularly near the Westlake Home Depot and in the Fashion District.
By early evening, the standoff between protesters and police intensified. Some demonstrators threw pieces of concrete at officers, who responded with tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowds. Around 7 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded with officers in riot gear, issuing dispersal orders and warning that those who remained risked arrest.
A citywide tactical alert was issued, requiring all LAPD personnel to remain on duty. By nightfall, approximately 200 protesters remained at the federal facility, with law enforcement maintaining a heavy presence and continuing to enforce dispersal orders.
News reports say protesters continued to gather on Saturday, with the crowd swelling to an estimated 1,000 people near the Home Depot on Alondra Boulevard. At approximately 11 a.m., Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Paramount demonstration to help manage traffic and maintain crowd control, emphasizing that they were not involved in federal immigration enforcement activities.
Tensions escalated Saturday as protesters used shopping carts and recycling bins to block streets near the Home Depot in Paramount. In response, federal agents deployed flash-bang grenades and pepper balls to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to at least two protesters and several journalists. Amid the chaos, some protesters reportedly threw bricks.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., the LAPD issued a dispersal order via loudspeaker, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department used tear gas to clear the area. An ICE agent was also injured when a rock thrown by a protester struck their vehicle.
The unrest continued into the afternoon, with fires set in the protest area, including a bag of trash and at least one car, which the Los Angeles Fire Department later extinguished. By 5 p.m., authorities maintained a heavy presence in the area. The evening saw further escalation: around 8 p.m., two people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police officers, including one individual accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail that caused minor injuries to three deputies.
Journalists on the ground in Los Angeles have highlighted a sharp contrast between national media portrayals of the protests and the reality observed at street level. While some national outlets and social media have used dramatic terms like “L.A. Riots” and circulated images of scattered violence, local reporters and officials have described a more nuanced situation, often noting that the unrest was limited to specific locations and that many demonstrations remained peaceful.
The Los Angeles Police Department released a statement early Saturday night saying, “Today, demonstrations across the City of Los Angeles remained peaceful, and we commend those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly. The Los Angeles Police Department appreciates the cooperation of organizers, participants, and community participants who helped ensure public safety throughout the day.
“While today’s events concluded without incident, the Los Angeles Police Department remains fully prepared to respond swiftly and appropriately to any potential acts of civil unrest. Our commitment to safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of all Angelenos continues- day and night.”
Although the governor of California did not asked for National Guard help, President Donald Trump issued an executive order deploying 20,000 troops to Los Angeles.
The National Guard operates under both state and federal authority. Normally, state governors command their state’s Guard units, but the president can “federalize” them, shifting command to the federal government.
The president can federalize the National Guard under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which places Guard members under federal command, treating them as regular military personnel. This is usually done in cases of invasion or imminent threat of invasion, rebellion or risk of rebellion against U.S. authority, when the president determines that laws cannot be enforced by regular means.
The Insurrection Act is the most explicit mechanism for deploying the military or National Guard domestically to address civil unrest or rebellion. However, Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act for the current deployment. Instead, Trump relied on a similar federal statute that allows federalization under the above conditions, citing the need to “combat lawlessness” and protect federal officers (ICE) during immigration enforcement actions.
Federalized Guard troops generally cannot perform direct law enforcement against civilians unless the Insurrection Act is invoked. In this situation, Trump specified their role as supporting ICE and protecting federal officers, not policing protesters directly. Legal experts warn that even in a “support” role, federalized troops could be drawn into confrontations, especially if protests escalate.
Around the same time as Trump issued the National Guard order, Hegseth wrote “if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,” on X (formerly Twitter).
Newsom replied, saying Hegseth was exhibiting “deranged behavior.”
Throughout the evening hours Saturday into Sunday, the LAPD continually issued dispersal orders and arrested people who did not follow the orders.
According to news reports about 300 Naitonal Guard units are on the ground in three different locations in Los Angeles.
Citywide, the total number of active protesters at any given time over the weekend appears to have ranged from several hundred to over 1,000, depending on the location and time of day.
On January 6, 2021, as a violent mob stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump failed to take timely or decisive action to stop the attack.
For 187 minutes after his speech at the Ellipse, Trump remained largely inactive, watching the events unfold on television from the White House dining room and refusing to intervene, despite urgent pleas from staff and lawmakers for him to call off the rioters.
During this period, he made no calls to the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, or any other law enforcement or security officials to instruct a response to the unfolding crisis. Testimony from White House counsel Pat Cipollone and other aides confirmed that Trump did not request the National Guard or direct any law enforcement agencies to defend the Capitol.
Multiple witnesses, including those close to Trump, described him as “not interested” in doing more to stop the riot, and even “very angry”—not at the violence, but at what he perceived as an election stolen from him.
It was only after more than three hours of violence—well after the Capitol had been breached, lawmakers endangered, and police overwhelmed—that Trump finally released a video message telling his supporters to go home, but even then, he reiterated false claims about the election and expressed affection for the rioters, saying, “We love you, you’re very special”.
