The Trump administration announced Saturday it is deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles amid immigration protests resulted in clashes between demonstrators and local authorities, the White House said in a statement.
“President Donald Trump signed a memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness” in California as demonstrations opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations continued.
“In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move “purposefully inflammatory” and said it will “only escalate tensions.”
“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” he said in a post on X. “We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.”
Trump said in a Truth Social post that if Newsom and California Mayor Karen Bass can’t “do their jobs” then the federal government will “step in and solve the problem”.
The protests come as immigration enforcement conducted across the city, resulting in people, including children, being detained by ICE agents at the Edward Roybal Federal Building in downtown LA.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons placed blame on Bass and police for their response to the situation.
“What took place in Los Angeles yesterday was appalling,” Lyons said. “As rioters attacked federal ICE and law enforcement officers on the LA streets, Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”
Our brave officers were vastly outnumbered, as over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building. It took over two hours for the Los Angeles Police Department to respond, despite being called multiple times,” Lyons added.
