LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump has sent 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles, sparking outrage among California leaders who say the move will inflame tensions, not ease them.
The deployment follows a wave of protests across the city after federal immigration raids swept up dozens of people on Friday. Demonstrators poured into downtown streets, some clashing with police near a detention centre.
Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Trump’s action as “purposefully inflammatory” and warned it would only escalate unrest. “This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
A Show of Force in a City on Edge
By midnight, Los Angeles police had declared an “unlawful assembly” near the Metropolitan Detention Center on Alameda Street. Officers detained several people who had returned to the area despite dispersal orders.
Footage from local broadcaster showed police in riot gear forming skirmish lines and pushing back crowds. In one clip, protesters hurled objects at patrol vehicles as sirens pierced the air. Train services through nearby Little Tokyo were suspended around 11:30 p.m. after demonstrators took to the tracks.
The protests, largely peaceful earlier in the day, turned tense after officers deployed flashbangs and tear gas in an effort to disperse the growing crowds. Demonstrators had gathered outside federal buildings, calling for an end to what they described as “mass detentions” of undocumented immigrants.
Trump’s Justification and Backlash
In a social media post, Trump accused California officials of losing control and said the federal government would “solve the problem, riots & looters, the way it should be solved!!!”
His move to override state authority has drawn fire from both local and national lawmakers. “Law enforcement had no unmet need,” said Newsom. “This is about creating a spectacle.”
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs echoed those concerns. “No one wants their community to become militarised,” she said. “It erodes trust. President Trump, don’t do this.”
Senator Alex Padilla went further, calling the move “completely inappropriate and misguided,” and accusing Trump of “sowing more chaos and division.”
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, also spoke out, warning, “Weaponising protest to justify federal crackdowns is a dangerous precedent.”
A Legal Grey Area
Ordinarily, the National Guard is deployed by a state’s governor. But Trump, citing unrest, invoked a provision that allows the president to federalise Guard units under extraordinary circumstances.
Legal experts say that clause is meant for rare situations such as invasion, rebellion, or a breakdown in civil authority. Whether the current protests qualify is unclear, and constitutional scholars suggest the matter could soon land in court.
“This is murky legal ground,” said Dr. Marcia Reyes, a professor of constitutional law at UC Berkeley. “The burden will be on the administration to show that such a deployment is truly necessary.”
The Governor’s office confirmed to the Associated Press that President Trump acted without state approval. For many in California, the move has revived painful memories of past clashes between federal authority and local governance.
On the Ground: Protesters Dig In
Despite warnings, protesters returned to the streets late Saturday, some waving placards reading “Stop the Raids” and “No Troops in Our Streets.”
One protester, Carlos Vega, 32, stood outside Union Station with a hand-painted sign. “My uncle was picked up in that raid,” he said. “We’re not going away quietly.”
By Sunday morning, the National Guard’s presence was visible across key areas of the city armoured vehicles near civic buildings, troops patrolling transit stations, helicopters circling overhead.
Whether this show of force will calm the city or push it further into unrest remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: in Los Angeles, the battle lines are no longer just about immigration they’re about who gets to wield power, and at what cost.
