Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Los Angeles have continued for several days, with the Trump administration deploying National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines in response.
The protests began on Friday, when immigration raids took place in the Los Angeles area. Video from Friday afternoon showed protesters gathering outside a clothing warehouse that ICE was targeting, and protesters attempting to stop a law enforcement van. Over the weekend, the protests escalated, with some demonstrations declared unlawful assemblies and the National Guard being mobilized.
Here’s what to know about the catalyst for the protests and key moments in the Trump administration’s response.
What is ICE doing in Los Angeles?
ICE agents are in Los Angeles as part of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the United States. Arrests by the agency during Mr. Trump’s second term topped 100,000 as of last week, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. Agents have detained people on immigration charges in courthouses, at worksites and in communities across the country.
ICE recorded more than 1,200 arrests across the U.S. on Monday, according to agency data obtained by CBS News.
There were more than 55,000 individuals in ICE detention as of Tuesday morning, according to the agency data.
Why are people protesting in Los Angeles?
CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez said that on Friday, ICE said it arrested over 40 suspected undocumented migrants at a work site. Another 77 people were arrested by ICE and federal partners across the greater L.A. area on Friday, he said, citing ICE data.
ICE officials confirmed that four federal search warrants were served at three locations in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. The Associated Press reports that agents arrested immigrants in L.A.’s fashion district, as well as in a Home Depot parking lot and at other locations on Friday.
“How did we get from gang members to Home Depot?” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asked “CBS Evening News” anchor Maurice DuBois on Monday.
The Friday arrests appeared to be the catalyst for the protests, Montoya-Galvez said. The demonstrations started in downtown L.A. on Friday, then spread to Paramount and Compton on Saturday.
The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, though outbreaks of violence over the weekend and on Monday resulted in arrests.
The ICE actions also continued over the weekend. Federal agents have targeted schools, local businesses and communities in Los Angeles, “CBS Mornings” reported on Tuesday. One recent video appeared to show a father being detained and taken by agents in front of his family at a Culver City car wash over the weekend.
The protests in Los Angeles have been centered on the ICE actions and arrests in the area, and have demanded an end to ICE raids and enforcement actions there.
“This is a city of immigrants. This is a city that wants to help you get your legal status,” Bass said. “This is a city that embraces everybody that is here, regardless of when you got here or where you came from.”
Trump’s crackdown on protests
The Trump administration has responded strongly to the Los Angeles protests. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that the administration would not allow for a “repeat of 2020,” referencing the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s murder.
On Saturday, June 7, Mr. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, marking the first time a president sent troops into a state without a state request in decades, legal experts told CBS News. Mr. Trump invoked Title 10, a federal code that allows the president to call in the National Guard in the event that “the United States, or any of the commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States; or the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
Mr. Trump said in his order deploying National Guard troops that the protests threaten “Federal immigration detention facilities and other Federal property,” making the protests “a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” The order called for at least 2,000 National Guard troops.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the move on social media, writing that there was “currently no unmet need” and describing the deployment as “purposefully inflammatory.” California also sued the Trump administration, with attorneys for the state saying Mr. Trump “unlawfully bypassed” Newsom by putting National Guard troops under federal control without the governor’s permission.
“At no point in the past three days has there been a rebellion or an insurrection. Nor have these protests risen to the level of protests or riots that Los Angeles and other major cities have seen at points in the past, including in recent years,” the lawsuit reads.
On Monday, June 9, the Trump administration activated hundreds of U.S. Marines to join the National Guard troops. A defense official said that 700 active-duty Marines started arriving in L.A. on Tuesday morning. Newsom said he could take legal action over the use of Marines, calling it illegal.
Military officials said the Marines would “seamlessly integrate” with the National Guard to protect “federal personnel and federal property.” The troops have been trained in “de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force,” military officials said.
Also on June 9, the Trump administration said it was mobilizing another 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.
State and local officials have said that the deployments could aggravate the already tense situation in the city.
“We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved,” Newsom posted on X Monday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the administration’s mobilization of the National Guard and Marine Corps members, saying, “We believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties because we ought be able to enforce immigration law in this country.”
Hegseth, testifying Tuesday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, claimed ICE agents are “being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals.”
“If they’re attacked, that’s lawless, and President Trump believes in law and order,” Hegseth said, arguing the president “has every authority.”
Mr. Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, a 19th-century law that gives military troops domestic law enforcement authority to quell domestic unrest. On Friday, June 6, Mr. Trump said “if there’s an insurrection,” he “would certainly invoke it.”
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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