ICE protests turn violent in downtown L.A., local officials blame Trump

Protests over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the deployment of the National Guard boiled over on the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday as demonstrators blocked the 101 Freeway and surface streets, set cars ablaze, and lobbed projectiles at law enforcement. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to disperse the escalating crowds.

It was the third day of demonstrations against ICE raids in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles were centered in several blocks of downtown.

Hours after announcing the start of three separate, then-peaceful protests throughout L.A., LAPD’s Central Division announced that the city was on Tactical Alert at 2:30 p.m. as the crowd grew unruly.

“The use of less lethal munitions has been authorized,” said LAPD. “Arrests are being made.”

In an update just before 3:30 p.m., LAPD said officers encountered demonstrators throwing “concrete, bottles and other objects.”

Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities, including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days.

Sky5 was overhead as protesters moved onto the 101 Freeway, some trying to block California Highway Patrol vehicles, before crowds poured onto both southbound and northbound lanes.

Just before 4 p.m., KTLA’s Gil Leyvas reported that two motorcycles had pummeled into a skirmish line at Temple and Alameda, hitting two officers. LAPD confirmed that both riders were detained, and the injured officers were being treated at the scene by medical personnel.

Later in the evening, CHP officers on the 101 Freeway came under assault from rocks, fireworks and other objects thrown by agitators on a bridge.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.

California elected officials blame Trump

The presence of the Guard was “inflaming tensions” in the city, according to a letter sent to Trump by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday afternoon. He formerly requested that Trump remove the guard members, which he called a “serious breach of state sovereignty.”

Newsom later joined L.A. city, county, and California state law enforcement leaders at unified command, posting, “We’re here to keep the peace — not play into Trump’s political games,” on X.

In an interview with MSNBC, Newsom announced his intention to sue the Trump administration over the National Guard deployment, stating that it was unconstitutional to do so without the state’s prior approval.

“Where’s your decency, Mr. President? Stop. Rescind this order,” Newsom said.  “It’s illegal and unconstitutional … It’s immoral. You’re creating the conditions that you claim you’re solving, and you’re not, and you’re putting real people’s lives at risk.”

“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,” said Mayor Karen Bass in an afternoon press conference. “This is about another agenda, this isn’t about public safety.”

Trump has said the National Guard was necessary because Newsom and other Democrats have failed to stop recent protests targeting immigration agents.

Trump’s directive

In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” He said he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard.

Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Sunday that there were “violent people” in Los Angeles, “and they’re not gonna get away with it.”

Asked if he planned to send U.S. troops to Los Angeles, Trump replied: “We’re gonna have troops everywhere. We’re not going to let this happen to our country. We’re not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.” He didn’t elaborate.

About 500 Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, were in a “prepared to deploy status” Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Northern Command.

Their deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Immigration raids

The National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles following two days of intense protests sparked by federal immigration enforcement actions.

Protests initially erupted after federal agents conducted immigrant arrests on Friday in various locations across LA, including the fashion district and a Home Depot parking lot. On Saturday, a gathering of federal agents near another Home Depot in Paramount, suspected by protestors to be a staging ground for further raids, drew out a new wave of demonstrators. Federal authorities later clarified that no enforcement activity occurred at that specific Home Depot.

Over the week, federal authorities reported that the number of immigrant arrests in the Los Angeles area exceeded 100. Additionally, many individuals were arrested during the protests, including a notable SEIU union leader who faces charges of impeding law enforcement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.