Trump sends National Guard troops to address Los Angeles immigration protests

LOS ANGELES -- The White House said on Saturday that at least 2,000 National Guard personnel will be deployed in response to protests over federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, California.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that "violent mobs" have attacked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other federal law enforcement agents carrying out deportation operations in Los Angeles.

"In the wake of this violence, California's feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens. That is why (US) President (Donald) Trump has signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," said Leavitt.

"The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal service shall be at least 2,000 National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense," Trump said in the presidential memoranda, adding that the US secretary of defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the action.

Before signing the memoranda, Trump warned in an earlier post on his Truth Social that if the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles "can't do their jobs," then the federal government will "step in and solve the problem."

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the Trump administration's move to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

"The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles -- not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," said Newsom, a member of the Democratic Party, in a post on X.

The governor said earlier in another post that the move is "purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions."

"LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice," the governor said. "We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need."

Protesters clashed with the US immigration agents on Saturday for the second day in a row in Southern California.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that its personnel were dispatched to the 6400 Block of Paramount Boulevard in Paramount, Los Angeles County on Saturday, after reports of a large crowd gathering in the area and blocking traffic.

As deputies arrived, it appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest, said the department.

"Several arrests have already been made for assault on a federal agent. ANY attack on our agents or officers will not be tolerated," said US Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks in an X post.

Protesters and federal agents clashed on the streets of Paramount following reports of an ICE raid in the city, local KABC television station reported.

Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park, deploying tear gas as protesters gathered on medians and across the street, some jeering at authorities while recording the events on phones, according to the report.

The clash came a day after ICE agents raided several locations in Los Angeles on Friday, which sparked mass protests.

As immigration crackdowns continue across Southern California and the nation, the raids have resulted in the detention of at least 44 individuals, igniting widespread protests, confrontations and chaos in the second-largest US city.