National Guard scuffle with protesters hours after arriving in L.A. on Trump's orders

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 08, 2025 12:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Members of the National Guard faced disconnected with protesters successful Los Angeles connected Sunday, and teardrop state was fired astatine a increasing assemblage that gathered extracurricular a national analyzable hours aft the national troops arrived successful the metropolis connected U.S. President Donald Trump's orders.

The confrontation broke retired successful beforehand of the Metropolitan Detention Center successful downtown Los Angeles, arsenic a radical of demonstrators shouted insults astatine members of the National Guard lined enarthrosis to enarthrosis down integrative riot shields.

There did not look to beryllium immoderate arrests.

About 300 National Guard troops arrived successful Los Angeles aboriginal Sunday pursuing clashes successful caller days betwixt protesters and national migration agents.

The accomplishment of the National Guard followed 2 days of protests that began connected Friday successful downtown Los Angeles earlier spreading connected Saturday to Paramount, a heavy Latino metropolis southbound of the city, and neighbouring Compton.

WATCH | Trump-deployed National Guard troops get successful Los Angeles:

As national agents acceptable up a staging country connected Saturday adjacent a Home Depot successful Paramount, demonstrators sought to artifact U.S. Border Patrol vehicles, with immoderate hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents successful riot cogwheel unleashed teardrop gas, flash-bang explosives and capsicum balls.

Tensions were precocious aft a bid of sweeps by migration authorities the erstwhile day, arsenic the weeklong tally of migrant arrests successful the metropolis climbed past 100. A salient national person was arrested portion protesting and accused of impeding instrumentality enforcement.

The deployment of the National Guard came implicit the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of a "complete overreaction" designed to make a spectacle of force.

Trump has framed the determination arsenic a indispensable effect to the nonaccomplishment of Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to swiftly incorporate the unrest.

In a directive connected Saturday, Trump invoked a ineligible proviso allowing him to deploy national work members erstwhile determination is "a rebellion oregon information of a rebellion against the authorization of the Government of the United States."

The president said helium had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard.

Newsom called Trump connected Friday nighttime and they spoke for astir 40 minutes, according to the governor's office. It was not wide if they spoke connected Saturday oregon Sunday.

There was immoderate disorder surrounding the nonstop timing of the troops' arrival. Shortly earlier midnight section time, Trump congratulated the National Guard connected a "job good done." But little than an hr later, Bass said troops had yet to get successful the city.

In a connection connected Sunday, Tricia McLaughlin, an adjunct caput successful the Department of Homeland Security, accused California's politicians and protesters of "defending heinous amerciable alien criminals astatine the disbursal of Americans' safety."

"Instead of rioting, they should beryllium thanking ICE officers each azygous time who aftermath up and marque our communities safer," McLaughlin said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a societal media station from the Department of Defence. In a awesome of the administration's assertive approach, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth besides threatened to deploy active-duty Marines "if unit continues" successful the region.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the bid by Trump reflected "a president moving this state rapidly into authoritarianism" and "usurping the powers of the United States Congress."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, endorsed the president's move, doubling down connected Republicans' criticisms of California Democrats.

"Gavin Newsom has shown an inability oregon an unwillingness to bash what is necessary, truthful the president stepped in," Johnson said.