Trump Deploys National Guard to Los Angeles Amid Escalating Immigration Protests

President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles early Sunday to quell escalating immigration rallies, causing alarm among California leaders and civil liberties groups.

The deployment follows two days of growing rallies that began in downtown Los Angeles and subsequently moved to predominantly Latino neighborhoods, including Paramount and Compton. Protesters attempted to disrupt federal immigration operations, throwing rocks and debris at Border Patrol vehicles. In response, federal agents used tear gas and crowd control weapons.

National Guard personnel from the 79th Infantry Brigade were stationed outside the federal complex in downtown Los Angeles, which includes the Metropolitan Detention Center. Defense sources verified the deployment on social media, displaying troops armed with long guns and armored vehicles.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the Guard's presence serves to "preserve peace" while assisting law enforcement. However, the measure skirted California Governor Gavin Newsom's permission, an unusual federal override not seen in decades.

Newsom blasted the operation as a "provocative show of force," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that if the violence continued, Marines would be sent. Sen. Bernie Sanders described Trump's move as "authoritarian" and a violation of constitutional norms.

Sunday's turmoil follows a week of aggressive ICE raids, which resulted in over 100 arrests and the incarceration of a key union leader. Protests are likely to continue throughout the week.