The National Guard troops have been deployed across the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday(PDT) in response to President Donald Trump's order after protesters blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire amid the police using tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd.
According to Los Angeles Police Department, two officers were injured by motorcyclists during the protests
At least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned, AP reported.
It was the third day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops triggered anger and fear among some residents. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown.
What Did Trump Say?
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.
How Does Los Angeles Protest Look Like?
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. Police declared an unlawful assembly, and by early evening many people had left.
But protesters who remained grabbed chairs from a nearby public park to form a makeshift barrier, throwing objects at police on the other side.
Others standing above the closed southbound 101 Freeway threw chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles that were parked on the highway.
Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.
Injuries Reported
The Los Angeles Police Department's central Division in a post on X informed that two officers were injured during the riots.
The post read, "Two people, riding motorcycles, attempted to breach a skirmish line at Alameda and Temple. Two officers were injured after being hit by the motorcyclists. Both riders have been detained. Officers are being treated at the scene by medical personnel."
What Are Politicians Saying?
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Trump remove the guard members in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a "serious breach of state sovereignty." He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials. It wasn't clear if he'd spoken to Trump since Friday.
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.
Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom's comments.
"What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration," she said in an afternoon press conference. "This is about another agenda, this isn't about public safety."
Their admonishments did not deter the administration.
"It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement in response.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, said the immigration arrests and Guard deployment were designed as part of a "cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division."
She said she supports those "standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms."
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Offenhartz reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed to this report from Bridgewater, New Jersey.
How It Started?
began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton.
Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday.
The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid.
Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot.
Demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles by hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.
The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement.
