Trump administration says local law enforcement response delayed as violent protests escalate in Paramount, Compton, and downtown L.A.
Federal officials have mobilized 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following two days of violent protests sparked by immigration enforcement raids, with federal agents and demonstrators clashing in neighborhoods across the region.
The unrest intensified Saturday after videos showed protesters hurling rocks and fireworks at immigration agents and vandalizing property, while federal officers in riot gear used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were attacked near a Home Depot in Paramount, where some vehicles sustained damage and officers were injured by thrown debris.
Acting ICE Director Tom Homan announced the federal response during a Fox News appearance, saying, “We’re going to bring the National Guard in tonight. We’re going to continue doing our job. We’re going to push back on these people and we’re going to enforce the law.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signaled the situation could escalate further, writing on X that if violence continued, “active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.”
Tensions flared Friday evening when a federal immigration operation in L.A.’s fashion district sparked street confrontations. According to DHS, LAPD took nearly two hours to respond to agents’ calls for help, prompting criticism from federal officials who accuse local leaders of refusing to support law enforcement. ICE said more than a dozen protesters were arrested Saturday for obstructing federal operations.
Saturday night brought further chaos to Compton and other parts of the county, where demonstrators blocked federal buses, lit vehicles on fire, and waved foreign flags in the streets. Viral footage showed an American flag being burned and agents aiming non-lethal weapons as tear gas filled the air.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the violence but also criticized the ICE raids, stating that the enforcement actions “sow terror in our communities.” California Governor Gavin Newsom accused federal officials of “sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate.”
This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County.
Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount,…
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 8, 2025
President Donald Trump weighed in online, saying if Bass and Newsom “can’t do their jobs… the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
Federal officials, including DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, blamed the violence on what they described as political hostility toward immigration enforcement. “The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable,” she said. “Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end.”
According to the DHS, the recent raids led to the arrest of 118 undocumented individuals, including five gang members and several people with past criminal charges such as drug trafficking and child cruelty. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported that some of those detained included children.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to media inquiries about its role in the federal operations or its response time Friday night. DHS officials say the frequency of assaults on ICE agents has risen more than 400% since President Trump returned to office in January.
Trump is sending 2,000 National Guard troops into LA County — not to meet an unmet need, but to manufacture a crisis.
He’s hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control.
Stay calm. Never use violence. Stay peaceful. pic.twitter.com/e4gy6gh2Zn
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025
