Donald Trump deployed a U.S. Marine battalion and doubled the number of National Guardsmen on the ground in Los Angeles on Monday, in a major escalation of his response to the immigration raid protests.
Just days after a string of ICE raids on Friday sparked a wave of unrest in LA, the president ordered the Defense Department to take control of an additional 2,000 California National Guardsmen.
They will join the 2,000 troops already stationed throughout L.A., as well as a contingent of up to 700 Marines mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Protesters and the authorities continued to clash Monday evening with demonstrations spilling out into more American cities, including Santa Ana, New York City and Austin.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to deploy a further 800 law officers in an attempt to “clean up President Trump’s mess.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lambasted the Trump administration for “attacking our people.”
Here, The Independent breaks down what you need to know as LA experiences its fifth day of upheaval.
How did the protest start?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducted search warrants at multiple locations on Friday.
One search was executed outside a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District after a judge found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S Attorney's Office.
Crowds tried to stop ICE agents from driving away following the arrests.
Another protest was sparked outside a federal building in downtown LA, after demonstrators discovered detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of the building.
Protests then erupted in Paramount after it appeared federal law enforcement officers were conducting another immigration operation in the area. The protests also spread to the nearby city of Compton. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that as many as 400 people were involved in the demonstration.
The ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrests of 118 immigrants this week, including 44 people in Friday's operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The arrests led to protesters gathering outside a federal detention center, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”
Why did Trump first deploy the National Guard?
On Saturday, Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to LA.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Newsom responded on social media that the “federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
He added mobilization is “the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
The state National Guard had not been federalized by a president – in doing so overriding a governor – since 1965.
How have things progressed since?
The first National Guard troops arrived in areas of Los Angeles on Sunday, including Paramount and the downtown area. According to the U.S. Northern Command, 300 troops had been dispersed over three locations in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Footage shared online showed an escalation in the clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, with police in riot gear using tear gas to disperse people.
Another video showed protesters throwing fireworks and other projectiles at officers. Vehicles have been set on fire and graffiti reading “f*** ICE” has been sprayed in multiple locations.
By Sunday morning, the LAPD had already made dozens of arrests, with law enforcement braced for “several more protests” in the city throughout the day. Police said in the evening that there had been reports of looting in the city.
After sharply criticizing Newsom and Bass, Trump continued his rebuke against protestors on the ground.
Late Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social that it’s “looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!,” before adding: “ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!”
By Monday, Trump ordered the Defense Department to take control of an additional 2,000 California National Guardsmen to bolster efforts to quell demonstrations. They will join the 2,000 guardsmen already stationed throughout L.A.
About 700 Marines were also mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Newsom rebuked the response and said that the Marines “are not political pawns.” He said Monday evening that an additional 800 law enforcement officers would be deployed to “clean up President Trump’s mess.”
Protests on Monday were mostly quelled by the evening and remained less violent than Sunday’s fiery clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers. There were, however, still some flare-ups, including a car being set on fire on Skid Row.
Earlier on Monday, Newsom sued the administration over the original deployment of the National Guard, which he believes has inflamed the situation, claiming it was illegal because he did not request the assistance.
Protests spill into other U.S. cities
Anti-ICE protests leaked into other parts of California and other parts of the U.S., even as far afield as New York City.
Approximately 60 protesters, including juveniles, were arrested Sunday in San Fransico after a group began to “commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage.”
Over on the East Coast, around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in lower Manhattan. ABC7 reported that dozens of protesters were out for hours at Federal Plaza on Sunday, calling out concerns about ICE detainments.
On Monday, multiple people were arrested near San Francisco’s City Hall after two small groups broke off from thousands of protestors marching peacefully to commit “vandalism and other criminal acts,” police said
A peaceful protest in Santa Ana developed into violence with rocks thrown and fireworks set off at law enforcement officers, officials say
In Austin, police were forced to use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered at the Texas Capitol before marching on to the city’s JJ Pickle Federal Building, where ICE has its local headquarters.
What has the reaction been?
Newsom and Bass have both continued to speak out against the president’s decision to deploy the troops, describing it as “unnecessary” and an attempt by the administration to create “chaos.”
In a statement put out via email, the governor said that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “want a spectacle” and violence.
Speaking to KTLA on Sunday, Bass said that Trump’s decision was unnecessary and “just political.” “I’m very disappointed. To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it’s the [Trump] administration just posturing.”
By Monday, Newsom rebuked Trump’s “blatant abuse of power.”
“We will sue to stop this. The Courts and Congress must act. Checks and balances are crumbling,” he said. “This is a red line — and they’re crossing it. WAKE UP!”
Other Democrats, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, backed Newsom and Bass, with Booker describing the president’s actions as “hypocritical at best.”
Why has the Mexican flag become a symbol of the protest?
A dramatic photograph showing a masked protester biking around a blazing car in Los Angeles has rapidly become a symbol of the anti-ICE riots.
Drone footage of the masked protester, in the Hispanic-majority city, was shared on X and went viral.
Many said it gave Trump a propaganda coup as he works to deport migrants from LA and said the photo of the Mexican flag-waving protester was undermining their resistance.
Democrat supporter Armand Domalewski shared the video and claimed on X that the protester “has to be a Republican plant”.
“This is like the perfect propaganda footage for Trump and Steven Miller. Why do people do this?” Australian political observer Drew Pavlou wrote in response.
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