Trump Administration Takes Tough Stand at Los Angeles Border Amid Mexican Cartel Threats; National Guard Deployed Under Surveillance

Trump Administration Takes Tough Stand at Los Angeles Border Amid Mexican Cartel Threats; National Guard Deployed Under Surveillance

Los Angeles – At President Trump’s directive, National Guard troops began deployment in Los Angeles early Sunday morning, following recent clashes between federal immigration authorities and protesters attempting to disrupt enforcement activities.

On Sunday morning, members of the California National Guard were seen stationed at a federal complex in downtown Los Angeles. This complex includes the Metropolitan Detention Center, which has been the focal point of recent unrest and the site of mass protests over the past two days.

A post on the Department of Defense’s social media stated that among the deployed troops are members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Images showed soldiers armed with heavy weaponry and accompanied by an armored vehicle. President Trump announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, describing the ongoing unrest as “a form of rebellion.”

As of Sunday morning, the deployment was limited to a small area in the city center. The protests remained relatively small in scale and confined to the downtown district. The rest of the city—home to 4 million residents—remained largely unaffected.

Prior to the deployment, clashes occurred in Paramount, a Latino-majority city south of Los Angeles, near a Home Depot store. Protesters attempted to block a Border Patrol vehicle, with some throwing stones and chunks of concrete. In response, federal agents used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and pepper balls.

The day before, immigration authorities carried out multiple raids, resulting in over 100 arrests within a week. A prominent labor union leader was among those detained and charged with obstruction of law enforcement.

On Sunday morning, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the National Guard would “maintain peace and allow for protest, but also ensure law and order.”

Signaling the administration’s firm stance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that if the violence continued, he would deploy active-duty Marine troops. This decision came despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom, marking, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, the first instance in decades where National Guard troops were deployed to a state without a governor’s request.

Democratic Governor Newsom condemned the move as a “deliberate provocation” by Trump.

Trump’s order came after violent clashes in Paramount and neighboring Compton, where a vehicle was set on fire. In the evening, hundreds of protesters gathered near a donut shop in Paramount, prompting police to set up barbed-wire barricades.

Once again, crowds assembled outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, including near a detention center.