As the Los Angeles protests against ICE continue to intensify, President Trump orders the National Guard to handle the situation.
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According to the BBC, the U.S. President has ordered 2,000 National Guard members to go to Los Angeles. The protestors hit the streets on Friday to stand up against immigrant raids being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protests started when approximately 119 arrests were made throughout the Los Angeles area by ICE agents last week. A total of 44 arrests were made on Friday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the raids, calling them “cruel.”
President Trump issued a statement, revealing the federal government would “step in and solve the problem” following the second day of the unrest. He signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the troops to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
Trump addressed the situation in the early hours of Sunday.
“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes, and unrest,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal permitting is complete!), unable to to handle the task.”
He then wrote, “These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED. Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!”
Reuters further reported that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops “if violence continues” in Los Angeles. He stated the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were on “high alert.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom Slammed President Trump’s Decision to Deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles
In several posts on X (formerly Twitter), California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard during the Los Angeles protest.
In his first post about the situation, Newsom stated the federal government had moved to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 troops. He called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and would only scale the tension.
“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” the California Governor stated. “We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.
Newsom then wrote, “Trump is sending 2,000 National Guard troops into LA County- not to meet an unmet need, but to manufacture a crisis. He’s hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control. Stay calm. Never use violence. Stay peaceful.”
Newsom also posted a photo of President Trump’s Truth Social declaration and wrote, “The California National Guard wasn’t even deployed in Los Angeles when this rant was posted. Facts matter.”