President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 more National Guard troops to Los Angeles to bring the total number of federal forces in the area to 4,800 to deal with the ongoing anti-immigration protests.
The guards have been deployed to protect federal assets from mass destruction by the protestors.
The 2,000 National Guard soldiers join the 2,100 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines already present on the ground since the beginning of the protests on June 8, 2025.
National Guard as best solution
Trump says he expects an even more aggressive response by the residents as raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants continue.
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Announced on Tuesday by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the additional troop deployment led to protests in Los Angeles which were even bigger in terms of number of protestors, as thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles, with smaller demonstrations reported in Compton and near the ICE detention facility in Paramount.
Pete Hegseth has stated that the additional troops were necessary to counter “escalating threats” to federal assets, including reported incidents of vandalism and clashes near the Wilshire Federal Building.
The National Guard’s role includes patrolling key areas such as downtown Los Angeles, Paramount, and Compton, where protests have been most intense.
Unlike the Marines, who have made civilian detentions, the Guard has primarily focused on crowd control and securing perimeters, though their presence has drawn significant scrutiny.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued sharp rebukes of the federal deployment on June 17.
Newsom, who was speaking at a press conference in Sacramento, called the additional troops an “unlawful escalation” and accused the Trump administration of bypassing state authority.
He said that the California National Guard, when not federalized, reports to him, and he had not been consulted on the deployment.
Newsom’s ongoing lawsuit against the administration, filed on June 9, gained traction yesterday when a San Francisco federal judge scheduled an emergency hearing for June 19 to review the legality of Trump’s actions.
Political and Public Reactions
The deployment has drawn national attention, with Democratic leaders condemning the administration’s tactics.
“Sending thousands of troops to Los Angeles is not about safety, it’s about intimidation,” Senator Elizabeth Warren today tweeted.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for an investigation into the use of Marines in civilian detentions, describing it as a ‘dangerous precedent’.
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On the other side, Republican lawmakers, including Senator Tom Cotton, praised the deployment, arguing that “law and order must prevail” in the face of rioting and chaos.
More Protests today
A snap poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times on June 17 found that 45% of residents opposed the National Guard’s presence, while 38% supported it, with the remainder undecided.
Latino communities, heavily impacted by ICE raids, have been particularly vocal in their opposition, describing the feeling as occupation and not protection.
The situation in Las Vegas remains extremely tense and more protests are planned for today evening. Organizers have mobilised crowds and have vowed to continue until federal troops withdraw and ICE halts its operations.
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