Los Angeles has become the epicenter of a growing national storm over immigration enforcement after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city. The move follows a second consecutive day of violent clashes between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and protesters in the predominantly Latino Paramount district.
The unrest erupted following aggressive ICE raids that led to 118 arrests this week alone, including 44 on Friday. Tear gas, flash bangs, and batons have been used as federal agents attempt to disperse crowds protesting what California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned as “cruel” and “reckless” operations.
Trump’s administration remains defiant. A White House statement said the raids were aimed at stopping “the invasion of illegal criminals” and accused California’s Democratic leaders of failing to uphold public safety. Trump’s newly-appointed border czar Tom Homan, who is on the ground in LA, said the National Guard would be mobilized immediately, warning of “zero tolerance” for any violence or destruction.
Conditions in parts of LA remain tense. Protesters have clashed repeatedly with law enforcement, particularly around the Home Depot in Paramount, where tear gas hangs in the air. Local residents say some migrants are hiding in nearby businesses, too afraid to emerge.
Governor Newsom criticized Trump’s decision to federalize the National Guard, calling it “purposefully inflammatory” and unnecessary, while LA Mayor Karen Bass accused ICE of “sowing terror.” Both leaders insist that local authorities can manage the situation without military intervention.
Federal officials, however, have pushed back. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino warned protesters that “law and order will prevail,” and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Marines from Camp Pendleton could be mobilized if violence continues.
Immigrant rights advocates, including Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, decried the federal raids, saying families are being “terrorized.”
The escalating crisis underscores deep divisions over immigration policy and federal authority, with California increasingly at odds with the Trump administration’s hardline approach. Whether the military presence will restore calm—or further inflame tensions—remains to be seen.
