Why is Los Angeles protesting? Trump deploys Marines and National Guard after immigration raids spark major unrest
More than 700 Marines awaited deployment in Los Angeles on Wednesday, marking the latest escalation of Donald Trump’s response to the immigration raid protests.
Demonstrations continued for a sixth day after a string of ICE raids on Friday sparked a wave of unrest in LA, with the battalion of Marines set to join 4,000 National Guard troops already mobilized in the city.
The administration is now considering troop deployments to other cities as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement intensify in New York, Chicago, Austin and Denver, an official told the New York Times.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who claims the presence of troops exacerbates tensions, has asked a judge for an emergency injunction, arguing it is “unlawful.” A hearing is set for Thursday.
LA Mayor Karen Bass placed a curfew into effect in a portion of downtown LA in response to looters and vandals “taking advantage” of the Trump administration’s “chaotic escalation,” with the Los Angeles Police Department stating that it made “mass arrests” after the restriction was imposed.
Here, The Independent breaks down what you need to know as LA experiences its fifth day of upheaval.
How did the protest start?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducted search warrants at multiple locations on Friday.
One search was executed outside a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District after a judge found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S Attorney’s Office.
Crowds tried to stop ICE agents from driving away following the arrests.
Another protest was sparked outside a federal building in downtown LA, after demonstrators discovered detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of the building.
Protests then erupted in Paramount after it appeared federal law enforcement officers were conducting another immigration operation in the area. The protests also spread to the nearby city of Compton. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that as many as 400 people were involved in the demonstration.
The ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrests of 118 immigrants this week, including 44 people in Friday’s operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The arrests led to protesters gathering outside a federal detention center, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”
Why did Trump first deploy the National Guard?
On Saturday, Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to LA.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Newsom responded on social media that the “federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
He added that the mobilization is “the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
The state National Guard had not been federalized by a president – in doing so overriding a governor – since 1965.
How have things progressed since?
The first National Guard troops arrived in areas of Los Angeles on Sunday, including Paramount and the downtown area. According to the U.S. Northern Command, 300 troops were dispersed over three locations in Greater Los Angeles Area.
Footage shared online showed an escalation in the clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, with police in riot gear using tear gas to disperse people.
Another video showed protesters throwing fireworks and other projectiles at officers. Vehicles have been set on fire and graffiti reading “f*** ICE” has been sprayed in multiple locations.
By Sunday morning, the LAPD had already made dozens of arrests, with law enforcement braced for “several more protests” in the city throughout the day. Police said in the evening that there had been reports of looting in the city.
After sharply criticizing Newsom and Bass, Trump continued his rebuke against protestors on the ground. Late Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social that it’s “looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!”
By Monday, Trump ordered the Defense Department to take control of an additional 2,000 California National Guardsmen to bolster efforts to quell demonstrations. They will join the 2,000 guardsmen already stationed throughout L.A.
About 700 Marines were also mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with Newsom deploying an additional 800 law enforcement officers in a bid to “clean up President Trump’s mess.”
Protests on Monday were mostly quelled by the evening and remained less violent than Sunday’s fiery clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
By Tuesday, authorities enforced the curfew between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday, with Bass warning that anyone who failed to comply would be detained. The LAPD said that it made “mass arrests” after the restriction was imposed.
Hours before the Marine battalion was scheduled to be deployed in LA on Wednesday, Newsom filed an emergency injunction in an attempt to block the troop deployment.
The administration is now considering deploying troops to other cities to quell further protests, an official told the New York Times.
Protests spill into other U.S. cities
Anti-ICE protests began to spill into other parts of California and arose across other major U.S. cities.
Approximately 60 protesters, including juveniles, were arrested Sunday in San Fransico after a group began to “commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage.”
Over on the East Coast, around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in lower Manhattan.
On Monday, multiple people were arrested near San Francisco’s City Hall after two small groups broke off from thousands of protestors marching peacefully to commit “vandalism and other criminal acts,” police said
A peaceful protest in Santa Ana developed into violence with rocks thrown and fireworks set off at law enforcement officers, officials say. In Austin, police were forced to use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered at the Texas Capitol.
By Tuesday, protests had spread to at least 10 cities with dozens of arrests made.
While demonstrations were initially peaceful in New York City, things escalated in the evening, with clashes between police and protesters near the building housing New York’s ICE office. Protesters were seen on the ground as police tried to handcuff them, while other demonstrators lobbed water bottles at officers.
More protests were scheduled for Wednesday in places like Seattle, St. Louis and Indianapolis.
What has the reaction been?
Newsom and Bass have both continued to speak out against the president’s decision to deploy the troops, describing it as “unnecessary” and an attempt by the administration to create “chaos.”
In a statement put out via email, the governor said that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “want a spectacle” and violence.
Speaking to KTLA on Sunday, Bass said that Trump’s decision was unnecessary and “just political.” “I’m very disappointed. To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it’s the [Trump] administration just posturing.”
By Monday, Newsom rebuked Trump’s “blatant abuse of power.”
“We will sue to stop this. The Courts and Congress must act. Checks and balances are crumbling,” he said. “This is a red line — and they’re crossing it. WAKE UP!”
In a televised address Tuesday, Newsom lambasted Trump for “fanning the flames” of the LA protests, stating his “brazen abuse of power” had “inflamed a combustible situation.”
Other Democrats, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, backed Newsom and Bass, with Booker describing the president’s actions as “hypocritical at best.”
Why has the Mexican flag become a symbol of the protest?
A dramatic photograph showing a masked protester biking around a blazing car in Los Angeles has rapidly become a symbol of the anti-ICE riots.
Drone footage of the masked protester, in the Hispanic-majority city, was shared on X and went viral.
Many said it gave Trump a propaganda coup as he works to deport migrants from LA and said the photo of the Mexican flag-waving protester was undermining their resistance.
Democrat supporter Armand Domalewski shared the video and claimed on X that the protester “has to be a Republican plant”.
“This is like the perfect propaganda footage for Trump and Steven Miller. Why do people do this?” Australian political observer Drew Pavlou wrote in response.
