Image Credentials: Image Title: Trump Orders Deployment of 2,000 National Guard Troops to L.A. Amid ICE Raids and Unrest Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: May 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), and it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer with Agencies
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump on Saturday authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area following two days of escalating protests sparked by a wave of federal immigration raids across the city.
The protests, which erupted in the Latino-majority district of Paramount, were triggered by a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that have resulted in at least 118 arrests in the past week. Among those detained was a prominent union leader who had been demonstrating peacefully against the raids.
The confrontations reached a boiling point Saturday afternoon near a Home Depot in Paramount, where federal agents clashed with demonstrators. Authorities used flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and pepper balls to disperse the crowds, while some protesters responded by throwing rocks and chunks of cement.
“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement released Saturday evening.
The administration defended the deployment of National Guard troops as necessary to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” according to the White House.
By Saturday night, tensions had eased somewhat, with a visible National Guard presence in key areas of the city and protest crowds thinning.
California Governor Blasts Federal Action
California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized the administration’s decision, calling it “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Newsom accused the federal government of seeking a “spectacle,” and slammed the ICE raids as “reckless” and driven by “an arbitrary arrest quota.”
“Continued chaotic federal sweeps across California are as reckless as they are cruel,” Newsom said in a later statement. “We will not stand by while families are torn apart and fear is sown in our communities.”
The Governor has not indicated whether the state will formally oppose the federal deployment, but several members of the California congressional delegation have called for an emergency session to discuss the matter.
Community on Edge
Paramount residents reported feeling targeted and fearful as the situation unfolded over the past 48 hours.
“We’re just trying to live our lives,” said Ana Martinez, a local teacher who witnessed the confrontation. “This isn’t just about politics — this is about people being treated like criminals for existing.”
Local civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Southern California, have condemned the raids and called for independent oversight into the ICE operations and the conduct of federal agents during the protests.
As of Sunday morning, no fatalities had been reported, but several injuries were confirmed on both sides of the conflict, including two protesters hospitalized for tear gas exposure and minor injuries among federal officers.
The deployment marks one of the largest peacetime uses of the National Guard in Los Angeles since the George Floyd protests in 2020.