National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, hours after President Donald Trump signed an order authorising the deployment of 2,000 service members in response to escalating immigration protests across the city.
According to U.S. Northern Command, elements of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the California National Guard have begun deploying to the Los Angeles area, with some already on the ground.
The deployment comes amid ongoing clashes between demonstrators and federal agents enforcing immigration orders, with over 100 arrests reported.
“In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
She confirmed that Trump’s order would federalise a segment of California’s National Guard, which typically operates under the command of Governor Gavin Newsom.
Federalising the Guard is a rarely used authority granted to presidents under specific conditions.
Governor Newsom sharply criticised the move, calling it “purposefully inflammatory” and arguing it would “only escalate tensions”.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the federal deployment, calling it “a chaotic escalation”.
In a Sunday statement, she said, “The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it’s felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk.”
Trump, who spent Saturday night at a UFC event in Newark, New Jersey, praised the National Guard deployment in a Truth Social post early Sunday, writing: “Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest.” His message came before the troops had fully arrived in the city.
The White House also issued a formal presidential memorandum addressed to the secretaries of Defence, Homeland Security, and the Attorney General. It stated, “To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” The memo invoked the president’s constitutional authority to mobilise National Guard units in response to these events.
Meanwhile, labour leader David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was injured and arrested during Friday’s protests. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Huerta was “obstructing” federal officers while observing the demonstrations.
