Donald Trump deploys National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests

The Donald Trump administration has announced that it will deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops in response to escalating protests in Los Angeles against raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities.

California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, objected to the move and said in a post on X that it was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”

Trump's decision to involve the National Guard comes as protests in Los Angeles extend for a second day, with border patrol personnel using tear gas and riot gear to face off against demonstrators.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the protests were unlawful as the ICE agents' work was “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States.”

The rise in immigration detentions comes as part of Donald Trump and his administration's immigration crackdown, which has led to mass deportations across the country.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that recent ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants, including five people linked to criminal organisations.