LOS ANGELES– Tensions escalated in downtown Los Angeles late Sunday as more than 200 protesters clashed with National Guard troops during demonstrations against recent federal immigration raids across Southern California. The protests turned volatile as federal agents deployed tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd, leading to injuries among demonstrators and journalists.
Reporters from Xinhua witnessed National Guard troops, joined by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), forcefully pushing back protesters gathered near City Hall and other key locations. Witnesses said several people were struck by crowd control munitions as chaos erupted across multiple blocks.
“We want to protest peacefully. However, the Trump administration just sent soldiers to fight against us. Is it necessary?” one demonstrator shouted amid the confusion.
The unrest followed two days of aggressive federal immigration raids that began Friday, resulting in more than 100 arrests across the Los Angeles region. The raids, carried out by ICE and other federal agencies, sparked widespread anger among immigrant communities and local officials, prompting waves of protests that quickly grew in size and intensity.
In response to the growing demonstrations, President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area on Saturday—an unusual move that bypassed California Governor Gavin Newsom’s authority. It marks the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request, according to Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice.
California leaders were quick to condemn the move. Governor Newsom urged restraint and called on protesters to remain peaceful in a message posted online Sunday night. “California — Don’t give Donald Trump what he wants. Speak up. Stay peaceful. Stay calm,” he wrote. “Do not use violence and respect the law enforcement officers that are trying their best to keep the peace.”
Newsom also issued a strongly worded fundraising email criticizing the president’s actions. “Last night, President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, using the excuse of protests against his immigration raids,” the email read. “The president is attempting to inflame passions and provoke a response.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass echoed the governor’s concerns, calling the deployment unnecessary and politically motivated. “There were protests last night in Los Angeles — my understanding is that there were about 120 protesters. Several of them did commit acts of vandalism, but there was nothing that was happening in downtown Los Angeles that the LAPD could not manage,” she said in an interview. “To me, this is completely unnecessary.”
Federal footage broadcast by ABC 7 showed National Guard troops stationed across downtown Los Angeles, as well as in surrounding communities such as the City of Paramount and Compton. Demonstrators have been confronting federal agents and local police since Friday afternoon, with tensions escalating each night.
Despite strong pushback from state and local officials, federal authorities have indicated the immigration raids will continue. A DHS spokesperson on Saturday said enforcement operations “will proceed as planned.”
As the situation develops, civil rights groups and legal observers have called for transparency and restraint, warning that militarized responses to protest risk inflaming public outrage and undermining community trust. (Source: IANS)
