LOS ANGELES – Donald Trump ordered 2 000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday in what the White House said was an effort to quell “lawlessness” after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids.

The United States (US) president took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, where they could face off against demonstrators. 

It is a rare move that governor Gavin Newsom said was “purposefully inflammatory”.

The development came after two days of confrontations that had seen federal agents shoot flash-bang grenades and tear gas towards crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population.

Footage showed a car that had been set alight at a busy intersection, while in video circulating on social media a man in a motorbike helmet can be seen throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles.

In other scenes, demonstrators threw fireworks at lines of local law enforcement who had been called in to try to keep the peace.

“President Trump has signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2 000 National guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, blaming what she called California’s “feckless” Democratic leaders.

“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behaviour and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,” she added.

The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local politicians.

That was not the case Saturday.
Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry Saturday’s White House order.

“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he wrote on X.

“The federal government is taking over the California National Guard, and deploying 2 000 soldiers in Los Angeles – not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,” he added.

US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said guardsmen would be in place “within the next 24 hours”.

Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to ramp up tensions further, warning that nearby regular military forces could get involved.

“If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilised – they are on high alert,” he wrote on social media.

Law professor Jessica Levinson said Hegseth’s intervention appeared symbolic because of the general legal restriction on the use of the US military as a domestic policing force in the absence of an insurrection.

“At this moment, it’s not using the Insurrection Act,” she said, rather Trump was relying on what is known as Title 10.

“The National Guard will be able to do (no) more than provide logistical (and) personnel support.”

Since taking office in January, Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – whom he has likened to “monsters” and “animals”.

The Department for Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles this week had resulted in the arrest of “118 aliens, including five gang members”.

Saturday’s standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents.

On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were “feeling fear” following the federal immigration enforcement actions.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she said on X.

FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday’s clashes.

“You bring chaos, and we’ll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,” he said on X.

 – Nampa/AFP