President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard to Los Angeles after riots erupted on Friday night. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that if it should be necessary he was prepared to deploy Marines to the area as well.
The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly on Sunday afternoon as began setting electric, self-driving Waymo cars on fire, vandalizing them, and smashing them up. Cam Higby was on the scene documenting the madness as it unfolded.
Many of those who engaged in the protests-turned-riots waved Mexican flags while demanding that American immigration officials not carry out deportations of illegal immigrants and illegal immigrant criminals.
"A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations — But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve. I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant Departments and Agencies, to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free."
"The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK," Hegseth said on Saturday.
"Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It’s COMMON SENSE. The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert."
Since Friday, anti-ICE agitators and activists have staged direct actions in Los Angeles to protest the Trump administration's deporation activities. Trump won the White House in November on a promise to carry out deportations of criminal illegal immigrants after the Biden administration had allowed in over 8 million illegal immigrants. In many cases, the previous administration created semi-legal ways to import illegal immigrants.
Some of these, such as temporary protected status, parolee programs, or enterprises like the CBP One app have become targets of the Trump administration as his team seeks to secure the border and put a stop to illegal immigration.
The Biden administration sought to create pathways to citizenship for those illegal immigrants they allowed into the country and Biden's DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said outright in September 2024 that he opposed deportations across the board.
