The National Guard in Los Angeles has detained anti-ICE protesters while providing security for immigration operations, with officials warning of potential for further escalation. Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman indicated that around 500 National Guard troops have been trained to assist ICE agents during immigration operations, highlighting the ongoing tensions over enforcement actions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has criticized the Trump administration for deploying National Guard troops without consulting local law enforcement, while the Trump administration maintains that its ICE operations are targeting criminal illegal immigrants. The situation reflects broader national debates over immigration policy and the role of federal versus state law enforcement.
Immigration officials have already circulated photos of soldiers from the National Guard providing security for Department of Homeland Security agents. The troops being deployed to the protests all go through several days of training on civil unrest. Those troops providing security during raids also go through additional instruction, legal training and rehearsals with the agents conducting the enforcement operations.
While riots have calmed down in Los Angeles, Sherman said he expected things to escalate once again. ‘We are expecting a ramp-up,’ he said, adding that officials are discussing protests across the U.S. ‘I’m focused right here in L.A., what’s going on right here. But you know, I think we’re, we’re very concerned.’
Sherman commands Task Force 51, which oversees the more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines who were deployed to Los Angeles in response to the protests that erupted on Friday as ICE agents conducted illegal immigration operations in the area.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, said its ICE operations are aiming to get ‘criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, drug dealers, human traffickers and domestic abusers off the streets.’ These statements underscore the polarized nature of the immigration debate in the United States.
Newsom filed an emergency motion to ‘immediately block’ Trump’s use of the military to stop LA riots, indicating his opposition to the federal government’s approach. The deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles has drawn significant attention, with both sides framing the issue differently and highlighting the growing tensions between federal and state authorities in handling immigration enforcement.
As the situation continues to evolve, the actions of the National Guard and ICE agents remain under scrutiny, with the potential for further protests and clashes as law enforcement and protestors continue their ideological confrontation. The deployment of military forces to control civil unrest has sparked broader conversations about the limits of federal power and the role of state governments in managing national crises.