President Donald Trump has signed an order deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to ongoing protests against immigration raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which led to the arrest of at least 44 undocumented immigrants.
According to a White House statement issued Saturday evening, Trump authorized the deployment to “restore order to the chaos that has been allowed to spiral” in California.
Pentagon officials, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said they are immediately mobilizing National Guard units to support ICE operations in Los Angeles. Hegseth also warned on X that Marine infantry stationed at Camp Pendleton could be deployed “if violence continues,” emphasizing that those forces are “on high alert.”
“The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.”
— Pete Hegseth, X
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, denounced Trump’s move as “purposely inflammatory” and said it would only escalate tensions. He also warned that the federal government is seizing control of the California National Guard under the federal “Title 10” authority, effectively weakening state authority.
“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. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
— Gavin Newsom, X
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat, said many residents are “frightened” by the federal crackdown on immigration enforcement and labeled reports of immigration raids as “chaotic.” She added that her office received no prior notification and that ICE agents were “chasing people down the street.”
The deployment follows two days of on-the-ground protests in Los Angeles against ICE actions, with video footage showing demonstrators clashing with security forces and ICE vehicles. Protesters were seen waving Mexican flags—reflecting the large Mexican immigrant community in the city—and law enforcement responded with tear gas.
Trump has accused both Newsom and Bass of failing to uphold public order and warned on Truth Social that the federal government would step in to stop “rioting and looting… with whatever is necessary.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized California’s Democratic leaders for abdicating their responsibility to protect citizens, describing their inaction as “irresponsible.”
