Trump deploys National Guard over Los Angeles immigration protests

U.S. President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom after a second day of clashes between hundreds of protesters and federal immigration authorities in riot gear.Confrontations broke out again on Saturday in the heavily Latino satellite city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles. Agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls, and protesters hurled rocks and cement at Border Patrol vehicles. Smoke wafted from small piles of burning refuse in the streets.

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Tensions were high after a series sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day in LA’s fashion district and other locations, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100 and a prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement. The White House announced that Mr. Trump would deploy the Guard to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.” It wasn’t clear when the troops would arrive. Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a post on the social platform X that it was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.” He later said the federal government wants a spectacle and urged people not to give them one by becoming violent. In a signal of the administration's aggressive approach, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy the U.S. military. “If violence continues, active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,” Mr. Hegseth said on X. Mr. Trump's order came after clashes in Paramount and neighbouring Compton, where a car was set on fire. Protests continued into the evening in Paramount, with several hundred demonstrators gathered near a doughnut shop, and authorities holding up barbed wire to keep the crowd back.