LA Erupts in Protests After Trump Sends National Guard Without State Approval
Mass protests shook downtown Los Angeles on Sunday after President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops without California’s consent, igniting outrage over immigration arrests and federal overreach.
Thousands flooded the streets, blocking freeways and setting self-driving cars ablaze, as law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bangs. Riot police lined up alongside Guard troops outside key federal buildings, including the Metropolitan Detention Center, the epicenter of the demonstrations.
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The third consecutive day of protests followed Friday’s ICE raids that saw over 100 immigrants detained across Los Angeles. The federal crackdown sparked widespread backlash, especially after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members without a request from Governor Gavin Newsom — a move not seen since 1965.
By late afternoon Sunday, downtown LA was under lockdown. Protesters hurled rocks, fireworks, and debris from overpasses onto Highway Patrol vehicles below. At least four self-driving Waymo cars were torched, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
Authorities declared an unlawful assembly, shutting down blocks and dispersing the crowd with crowd-control munitions. Still, demonstrators returned with makeshift barricades and defiant chants outside the detention center.
Newsom condemned the deployment as a “serious breach of state sovereignty,” while LA Mayor Karen Bass accused the federal government of provoking the unrest. “This isn’t about public safety. This is political theater,” she said.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2025
Trump, speaking from New Jersey before boarding Air Force One, defended the action, claiming violent agitators were threatening the country’s stability. “We’re not going to let our country be torn apart,” he said, invoking rebellion laws to justify the move.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the crackdown “a cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic,” and praised protesters for defending fundamental freedoms.
My statement on what's unfolding in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/rujs8mrVPK
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 8, 2025
While the unrest hasn't reached the scale of LA's 2020 or 1992 riots, the federal response marks a sharp escalation. About 500 Marines remain on standby in Twentynine Palms as tensions continue to simmer across Southern California.