Tear gas flies and arrests mount as protesters clash with US immigration officers in Los Angeles.

California Riots
© AP / Eric ThayerBorder Patrol personnel deploy tear gas during a protest in Paramount, Los Angeles, California, June 7, 2025.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles County following several days of violent protests and attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, the White House announced on Saturday.

The latest unrest erupted in the city of Paramount, where demonstrators confronted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel amid reports of ongoing deportation operations. Though no raid took place at the location in question, tensions escalated near a Home Depot store, where tear gas and less-lethal rounds were fired to disperse the crowd.

"RIOTS & LOOTERS," Trump wrote on Truth Social, "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem... the way it should be solved!!!"

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president had signed a Presidential Memorandum authorizing the National Guard deployment, citing attacks against ICE officers and "lawlessness that has been allowed to fester." She reiterated the administration's zero-tolerance stance toward violence directed at law enforcement.


Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, who is currently overseeing the operations on the ground, told Fox News: "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."

"American people, this is about enforcing the law.. And again, we're not going to apologize for doing it," Homan emphasized. "You've got your First Amendment rights, but if you cross that line of impediment, or you put hands on officers or destroy property, you will be prosecuted."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his deputies initially responded to a "street takeover" but were later called in by federal agents who said they were under attack. "Eventually, that crowd grew to between 350 and 400 people, and some began throwing objects at the agents," Luna told reporters. He emphasized that his department was not involved in immigration enforcement but supported fellow officers under duress.


Mayor Peggy Lemons of Paramount criticized the federal government for failing to notify local authorities in advance. "There's just a lack of communication... so that we could have a better handle and be better prepared to educate our residents," she said. "People are just frightened. And when you handle things the way that this appears to be handled, it's not a surprise that chaos would follow."

The protest followed three immigration raids conducted across Los Angeles on Friday, which led to 44 administrative arrests and the detention of SEIU California president David Huerta on obstruction charges.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the unrest a "riot" and warned of prosecution for anyone who "lays a hand on a law enforcement officer." FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino added: "You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs."