(Updated with more details) Reeling from widespread and harsh ICE raids and responding protests and unrest over the past 24 hours, Los Angeles has become a powder keg with Donald Trump deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops.
As rock throwing and bellowing Angelenos sought to stop undocumented individuals being targeted by masked and heavily armored federal agents at a Home Depot in Paramount, California and LA’s Westlake neighborhood today, Trump took to social media to announce a de facto takeover of the City of Angels. “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!!!”
No details have been released of how the troops will be deployed, where they will be deployed, will there be a curfew, and will local law enforcement be working with them. Raising the stakes even more, and disregarding federal law, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth proclaims that “if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.”
The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.
Under President…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) June 8, 2025
There is also no indication that local law enforcement felt they needed big time back-up or, even with a burning car in the streets, had lost control, which is the usual standard for bringing in the National Guard. What we do know is that as LA is supposedly under such great threat that thousands of troops have to hit the streets, Trump is sitting ringside right now at the UFC 13 show in Newark. Along with UFC boss and Trump buddy Dana White, POTUS is socializing with would-be Paramount owner David Ellison, ex-heayweight champ Mike Tyson, interim New Jersey US Attorney Alina Habba, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, plus family members Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Eric Trump. By Trump’s side at the last UFC pile-on POTUS attended, Elon Musk was nowhere to be seen Saturday. Not surprising as the ex-DOGE leader and Trump had a very very public and scorching falling out last week with flames thrown from both sides.
Quickly backed up by local and regional politicians amid the unrest, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed and condemned Trump’s near unprecedented troop action.
“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” the Democrat and Trump foil said of the federal “takeover” of the state National Guard, something he expressly did not want. “LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.
LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close…
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025
In a post just minutes before, Newsom said the not-so-quiet thing out load in a country that has been whiplashed through one Constitutional Crisis after another since Trump returned to office with authoritarian measures. “The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate,” the Governor said. “That is not the way any civilized country behaves.”
As the federal government conducts chaotic immigration sweeps across the country, the state is deploying additional CHP to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace. It’s not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement.
The federal government is sowing…
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025
With more protests anticipated, Newsom has put the California Highway Patrol on the scene to make sure safety “is maintained on California’s highways.” Praising his old boss, Senator Alex Padilla added: “The Trump Administration is just sowing more chaos and division in our communities.” LA Mayor Bass took a more customary circumspect approach
This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County.
Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount,…
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 8, 2025
Others were much less circumspect.
We’re now seeing paramilitary ICE raids in LA — full on military garb, military tanks, flash bang grenades & the arrest of a major labor leader.
This is a core manifestation of fascism — using federal forces to put down dissent.
If we don’t stop this now, this is the future. https://t.co/7tPvUppcad
— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) June 7, 2025
Veteran showrunner Steven DeKnight amplified predictions of where this could all go.
— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) June 8, 2025
Raids in LA’s Fashion District and other place in DTLA on Friday, as well as San Diego, saw hastily organized responses as protestors filmed the round-ups, leap in front of government vans and even attacked the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse where ICE agents had taken the over 100 people that had taken into custody. Among those hit to the ground by federal agents and taken off was SEIU labor leader David Huerta, which led to an outpoaring of support from unions and guilds all over the state and nation — though Hollywood guilds SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have been silent so far.
With all that going down, it was the gas shooting LAPD who should up Friday night to clear the area around the Roybal and get out the trapped ICE staff – or at least tried to. This was despite the insistence of Mayor Bass and the LAPD chief that the police wouldn’t be getting involved
Looking more and more like a set-up, Trump’s move came just a few hours after his Deportation chief Tom Homan went on Fox News to warn LA what was coming if the street weren’t emptied ASAP. “We’re going to bring National Guard in tonight,” he said, echoing various administration officials and cabinets secretaries. “We’re going to continue doing our job. We’re going to push back on these people, and we’re going to enforce the law.”
Led by White House deputy chief of staff and the man often called Trump’s Prime Minister, Santa Monica-raised Stephen Miller, other Trump loyalists like Vice-President JD Vance took to Elon Musk’s X platform to back their boss.
Insurrection. https://t.co/kTHE20VYVY
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 8, 2025
One of the main technical issues in the immigration judicial battles is whether Biden’s border crisis counted as an “invasion.”
So now we have foreign nationals with no legal right to be in the country waving foreign flags and assaulting law enforcement. If only we had a good…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 8, 2025
No one in power is openly saying the words “Insurrection Act,” both Vance and Miller may have overplayed their hands when they started pushing Trump’s legislative agenda. “Time to pass President Trump’s beautiful bill and further secure the border,” said Vance of the increasing unstable bill that even Musk has attacked as a deficit bloater.
On the other side of the spectrum, Governor Newsom’s pushback remark on Trump bringing 2,000 troops into LA was only the latest escalation of tension he has with the White House. After CNN reported that the Trump administration was preparing to punish the state by withholding federal funds, Newsom issued a statement and video pointing out that California tax dollars subsidize other states. He also threatened to cut off that flow of tax dollars to the federal government.
As Blackhawk helicopters were reported to offloading a cache of weapons on Saturday evening near a DHS staging facility in a calming Compton, the White House put out another statement justifying its actions. “In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Claiming “lawlessness has been allowed to fester,” Leavitt added: “The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs. These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice. The Commander-in-Chief will ensure the laws of the United States are executed fully and completely.”
As this was all going down, very little of the explosive events occurring in America’s second largest city were being covered on the cable newsers. In fact, it was the UK’s BBC who were the only outlet to be on the scene live.
As FNC chatted with the CIA Director, and MSNBC stayed on a segment on past ICE actions, CNN initially stuck to their panel programming following the live broadcast of the Tony nominated Good Night and Good Luck starring George Clooney. It took almost 40 minutes for the Warner Bros Discovery owned channel to cut to the news out of LA.
Ted Johnson contributed to this report
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