TENSIONS IN LOS Angeles escalated yesterday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to US President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who did not leave.

It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.

Why are the protests taking place?

When Trump took office in January, he pledged to crack down on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – who he has likened to “monsters” and “animals”.

On Friday, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made dozens of arrests across LA after a series of immigration raids.

US Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA’s fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations.

At one sweep less than two miles from Los Angeles City Hall, agents threw flash-bang grenades to disperse angry crowds of people following alongside a convoy of ICE vehicles as protesters hurled eggs at the agents, local media reported.

Officers make their way down a ramp to the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The raids – which began in broad daylight on Friday in a city with a large Latino population – were always likely to spark reaction among the public in the liberal city.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown LA on Friday afternoon to demand the release of detainees.

The largely peaceful rally was later ordered to disperse by police, with some violent clashes between protesters and riot police being reported.

The Department for Homeland Security said ICE operations in Los Angeles this week had resulted in the arrest of “118 aliens, including five gang members”.

What is the National Guard and how was it deployed?

The National Guard is a section of the US military that can be used as reserves for the army and air force.

The White House said Trump relied on a seldom used law, known as Title 10, that permits National Guard federalisation in times of “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States”.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision “purposefully inflammatory” but Trump’s order proceeded, and the guard troops were on LA streets yesterday.

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Members of the California National Guard Firing tear gas yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Typically, a state governor requests the deployment of the National Guard.

However, Kenneth Roth, a longtime former Human Rights Watch executive director, said this is the “first time since 1965 that a president has deployed the National Guard without a request by a state governor”.

“Then it was (president Lyndon) Johnson protecting civil rights protesters,” said Roth.

“Now, it’s Trump creating a spectacle so he can continue his immigration raids.”

-With additional reporting from © AFP 2025 

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