Protests continued for a second night in downtown Los Angeles as demonstrators gathered in response to sweeping immigration enforcement raids.
The demonstrations, which began Friday and intensified through the weekend, drew thousands into the streets, with confrontations erupting between protesters and law enforcement. Tensions escalated further after President Donald Trump said he would deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to the city—over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom.
What Happened in LA?
The unrest was initially sparked by an ICE raid outside a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District, where federal officials alleged the employer used fictitious documents for workers.
As ICE agents conducted arrests, protesters attempted to block their vehicles and later gathered at a downtown federal building, where they believed detainees were being held. Protests quickly spread to Paramount and Compton, where additional operations were reportedly underway.
The president ordered the National Guard to operate under federal command to “address the lawlessness,” bypassing the traditional authority of the state’s governor. The troops were tasked with supporting ICE operations rather than engaging in direct law enforcement, though their presence on city streets has added to the confrontational atmosphere around protest sites.
Some groups within the crowd set fire to property and defaced vehicles, including multiple autonomous Waymo cars, which were torched near Pershing Square, their windows smashed and exteriors spray-painted. Protesters also surrounded and defaced a KTLA news van.
Videos and photographs showed tear gas deployed outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where federal troops faced off with protesters on Sunday.
The chaos marked one of the most forceful uses of National Guard troops in a major U.S. city in recent years, highlighting the widening rift between federal and state leadership over immigration policy and protest management.
How Has Trump Responded to Protests?
The Trump administration defended its immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles, which it said was aimed at detaining undocumented individuals with outstanding deportation orders or criminal records. ICE confirmed a multi-day, citywide sweep involving tactical teams that began late Thursday.
In his deployment of the National Guard, Trump has overridden Governor Newsom, who would typically retain authority over California’s troops under standard protocols.
“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!!!” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
What’s Next
City leaders have warned that further protests may follow. In a statement on Friday, Mayor Karen Bass said of the immigration enforcement operation: “It sows a sense of terror in the community. It’s bad enough that it happened at this location, but the way this goes and spreads throughout the community, people are not sure where they are safe.”
Concerns are rising among local communities, and residents have been told to avoid public areas amid fears of the unrest.
Waymo is reportedly cooperating with authorities as they assess damage. The company had been running a pilot program with its self-driving vehicles in the city.
A spokesperson from the company told CNN: “We are in touch with law enforcement” in regard to the cars vandalized during the protests over the weekend.
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