The US National Guard has been deployed in Los Angeles following the order of United States President Donald trump, who sent in 2,000 troops in response to protests against federal immigration raids. The move has drawn criticism from California’s Democratic leaders.

Troops were seen early Sunday at the federal complex in downtown Los Angeles,particularly around the Metropolitan Detention Center,a focal point of demonstrations in recent days.

This deployment follows intense confrontations between protesters and federal agents near a Department of Homeland Security facility in Paramount, a city with a important Latino population located south of Los Angeles.

The clashes began after federal authorities conducted mass arrests in areas including the city’s fashion district and a Home Depot store. Immigration officials report that over 100 people have been detained in the past week.

Trump Management’s Actions Draw Criticism

During Saturday’s confrontations, federal agents used tear gas, stun grenades, and pepper balls, while protesters retaliated with rocks and other objects. Fires erupted in the streets as tensions escalated.

“They want a spectacle. Don’t give them one,”

Rob Reynolds, reporting from Los Angeles, noted, “This deployment of National Guard troops was done in a very unusual manner.Usually, the National Guard presence is requested by the governor of a state. In this case, Trump went around [california Governor Gavin] Newsom using a different provision of the law that allows him to nationalise the State National Guard and call it out in cases of insurrection against the United States government.”

Newsom, a frequent critic of Trump, described the deployment as “inflammatory,” suggesting it would exacerbate the situation.He accused the administration of employing aggressive tactics to incite unrest and divert attention from its controversial immigration policies. Trump has referred to the protests as “a form of rebellion.”

Reynolds added, “There has long been a sense of antagonism between Trump and the state of California in general and also particularly against Newsom, who Trump refers to on social media by the somewhat juvenile nickname of Gavin New Scum. he was brandishing that nickname on social media earlier today.”

The white House has defended the decision, stating that the National Guard is needed to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”

The last time the National Guard was deployed in Los Angeles was in 1992, during the riots following the acquittal of police officers in the Rodney king case.

Robert Patillo, a civil and human rights attorney, described the president’s decision to bypass the governor as “unprecedented” in recent history. “Normally, if federal troops are going to be used inside of states, it’s going to be at the invitation of the governor of that state. Such as, in 1992, the California governor invited federal troops in to put down the LA riots. But if the governor, such as Gavin Newsom, has not asked for federal troops to come in, and these troops are coming in against his will, then there will be challenges,” he stated.

In compton,a vehicle was set on fire,while in Paramount,hundreds of protesters gathered near a doughnut shop as police established barriers of barbed wire. Protests continued into the night,with demonstrators returning to federal buildings in central los Angeles.

Police declared an unlawful assembly and began making arrests.

Further escalating the situation, US Defense secretary Pete hegseth announced that active-duty Marines based at Camp Pendleton are on high alert and could be deployed if unrest persists.

vermont Senator Bernie Sanders characterized Trump’s order as “a president moving this contry rapidly into authoritarianism” and “usurping the powers of the United States Congress”.

Several Republican leaders have expressed their support for the National Guard’s involvement.