In a stunning show of federal force, the Trump administration has deployed approximately 4,000 National Guard members and nearly 700 Marines to Los Angeles, a city reeling from escalating protests against aggressive immigration raids. The move, described by California officials as “authoritarian,” has ignited fierce backlash and legal battles from state leaders and civil rights advocates.
Over the weekend and into Monday, demonstrators flooded the streets in response to what many are calling brutal and unlawful enforcement tactics by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The raids have disproportionately impacted working-class communities, targeting garment district employees, restaurant staff, and day labourers. Among those arrested was David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW, who was detained while acting as a legal observer during an ICE operation. He has since been released and now faces felony conspiracy charges.
Despite facing rubber bullets, tear gas, and mass arrests, protesters, backed by organisations like the ACLU and Trabajadores Unidos, continued to march, chant, and demand the release of detained family members. Many expressed anguish over the sudden disappearance of loved ones. “What happened was not right. It was not legal,” said one woman whose father was apprehended during a warehouse raid. Another protester, Yurien Contreras, tearfully described her father being chained and taken without any contact since.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who publicly opposed the federal deployment, revealed Monday night that only 300 troops had been activated, while thousands more remained idle in federal buildings. California has since filed a lawsuit seeking to block the federal government from deploying the state’s National Guard without gubernatorial approval, citing a lack of rebellion or insurrection and accusing ICE of using militarised tactics that provoked unrest.
The suit names Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and claims the president is “manufacturing chaos for political gain,” undermining California’s sovereignty and the governor’s constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the state guard.
At a press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced the raids and the federal overreach. “We are a proud city of immigrants,” she stated. “This city will not be a test case for authoritarian tactics.” Bass also criticized the lack of transparency, noting that many detainees have been denied access to legal counsel and held incommunicado.
Meanwhile, ICE’s acting director Tom Homan, appearing on multiple news outlets, defended the crackdown by claiming the agency had removed “dangerous individuals” from the streets. However, he also admitted that many of those detained had no criminal records.
In addition to the National Guard, the arrival of Marines to assist in domestic enforcement has raised constitutional alarms. This is the first such deployment without a state request since 1965, drawing comparisons to the military response during the 1992 Rodney King riots.
Protests have now spread beyond LA to cities including New York, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and Austin, where crowds rallied under banners reading “No human being is illegal” and “No more ICE.” In Los Angeles, demonstrators occupied major thoroughfares and gathered near federal buildings, despite escalating confrontations with police.
The LAPD, which has a fraught history with protest management, confirmed that officers fired over 600 rubber bullets across the weekend. Chief Jim McDonnell insisted the use of “target-specific munitions” was justified but acknowledged concerns over injuries to protesters and journalists, including an Australian reporter struck at close range.
Civil rights groups, including the Centre for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, have condemned the militarised police response. “Showing up in riot gear to a peaceful protest is like throwing a match on dry grass,” said Executive Director Sergio Perez.
The legal, political, and human rights implications of this crackdown are only beginning to unfold. California’s lawsuit seeks to rein in federal authority and reassert state control, while grassroots movements and immigrant families brace for further raids.
For many, the events in Los Angeles signal a dangerous turning point in the federal government’s approach to immigration enforcement. As the city defends its immigrant communities, the rest of the nation watches, some in horror, others in solidarity, with a growing sense that this battle may define more than just one state’s rights.
