Los Angeles Immigration Raids: National Guard and Marines Deployed as Protests Escalate

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles skyline was shrouded in smoke and tension Monday night as protests against federal immigration raids escalated into violent clashes with law enforcement, prompting the Trump administration to deploy 700 Marines and an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to the city .

The dramatic image captured at the scene shows helmeted federal officers advancing through clouds of smoke on a downtown street, as protesters—some carrying signs reading "STOP KIDNAPPING OUR NEIGHBORS"—confront the heavily armored enforcement teams .

The Raids That Sparked the Unrest

The unrest began after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted a sweeping operation targeting undocumented immigrants across Los Angeles. Several cities have seen similar protests erupt in recent days .

Los Angeles officials have said the raids have detained hundreds of people, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for years without criminal records. Community leaders have described the operation as "indiscriminate" and warned it has instilled fear in immigrant communities, particularly in the city's large Mexican-American population .

Trump Administration Responds

President Donald Trump defended the military mobilization in a speech to troops Monday, calling the Los Angeles protesters "professional agitators," "insurrectionists," and "bad people" who "should be in jail" .

"If we didn't have to put the National Guard out there, we wouldn't have," Trump said. He also accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of being "grossly incompetent" and suggested he should be arrested .

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Marines were mobilized because "federal law enforcement officers and buildings in Los Angeles continue to face threats" and that the government had "a duty to protect them" even if local officials would not .

California Sues the Administration

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit Monday against Trump and Hegseth, accusing them of illegally federalizing the California National Guard without the governor's consent and violating the Tenth Amendment's protections of state sovereignty .

Bonta described the administration's actions as "an attempt to create chaos and crisis in Los Angeles to serve their own political purposes"—an "abuse of presidential power" that he argued undermines the foundational principles of the United States .

Legal experts noted that this is the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president has mobilized a state's National Guard without a request from that state's governor .

On the Ground in Los Angeles

Witnesses described scenes resembling a war zone. One Chinese-American resident who visited downtown Los Angeles on Sunday said he felt like he had walked into a "doomsday survival game"—police cars speeding past, shattered glass covering the streets, and the air thick with smoke and shouting .

The protests have also impacted nearby Chinese commercial districts. Several blocks from the protests, residents reported hearing gunshots, police sirens, and helicopters circling at night, making it difficult to sleep .

A Nation Divided

Trump and Newsom have publicly blamed each other for "sparking a civil war." When asked about Newsom's accusation, Trump denied wanting a civil war but said "it could happen" if people "let people like him [Newsom] act" .

Vice President JD Vance and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller seized on images of protesters carrying Mexican flags, describing them as "insurrectionists" and "an illegal foreign invasion" .

Media analysts, however, noted that Mexican-American residents in Los Angeles commonly carry Mexican flags to express solidarity with those targeted by immigration enforcement—not as a sign of rebellion .

Protests Spread Nationwide

The unrest has spread to other cities. In San Francisco, more than 150 people were arrested following clashes with police, including six juveniles. Two officers were injured .

In Austin, Texas, hundreds of demonstrators marched from the state capitol toward a federal detention facility, leading to confrontations with local police .

As of Monday night, approximately 4,100 National Guard troops and 700 Marines were deployed in Los Angeles, the largest domestic military mobilization since the 1992 Rodney King riots .