U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following two days of protests against immigration raids, igniting fierce backlash from California Governor Gavin Newsom. The Democrat condemned the move as “purposefully inflammatory” and accused the White House of engineering a spectacle to justify federal overreach.

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“The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle,” Newsom wrote on X. “Don’t give them one.”

The protests, driven by a renewed wave of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Southern California, erupted into violent clashes on Saturday in the city of Paramount. Demonstrators confronted federal agents, prompting the use of tear gas and less-lethal rounds to disperse the crowds.

Federal Escalation Fuels OutcryThe White House justified the deployment, citing a “failure of state leadership” in containing what it called “lawless violence.” However, California officials and rights groups contend that the militarized response is a deliberate provocation targeting vulnerable communities. “The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves,” Newsom warned.

California is a self-declared sanctuary state, meaning local and state law enforcement agencies are legally prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration authorities unless presented with a judicial warrant. This policy has long placed the state on a collision course with Washington’s immigration agenda. In response to Saturday’s protests, Newsom said the California Highway Patrol had been mobilized to keep the peace, but clarified, “It’s not the CHP’s job to assist in federal immigration enforcement.”

The flashpoint occurred in Paramount, where hundreds gathered near a Home Depot store after rumors of an immigration raid. Although ICE later denied conducting an operation at that site, officials said tensions flared when demonstrators began throwing objects at agents and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed that the crowd swelled to between 350 and 400 people and that law enforcement was forced to respond.

ICE reported conducting three raids elsewhere in Los Angeles last week, resulting in 44 administrative arrests. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a total of 118 people were detained across Southern California during the past week, including five alleged gang members and others with prior criminal records related to drug trafficking and assault.

DHS officials cited a 413% surge in assaults against immigration officers and reported that personal information of agents and their family members had been leaked online, a tactic known as doxxing. “The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who also criticized the LAPD for its delayed response to unrest outside a federal building on Friday night.

Rights groups, however, argue that the government’s language is designed to criminalize dissent and deflect attention from abusive immigration practices. “This is not about restoring order — it’s about sending a message,” said a spokesperson for the ACLU. “Deploying troops against immigrant communities is an authoritarian tactic, not a public safety measure.”

The deployment of federal troops without a state governor’s consent is rare and controversial, evoking comparisons to Trump’s 2020 response to the George Floyd protests. Analysts warn that such moves signal a broader erosion of civil liberties and democratic norms.

“This echoes past abuses during the Civil Rights era and again in 2020, when federal agents were deployed to suppress protests across U.S. cities,” said Dr. Maya Glenn, a political science professor at UC Berkeley.

In 2024 alone, ICE conducted over 142,000 deportations, with Los Angeles ranking among the top five metro areas targeted for enforcement, according to DHS figures. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, critics say Trump’s response is a calculated effort to mobilize his political base by framing immigration as a national security threat. But in doing so, they warn, the federal government risks further destabilizing one of the most populous and diverse states in the country.

Newsom called for restraint, urging Californians to defend their rights peacefully. “Speak out peacefully,” he wrote. “Don’t let them turn this into something it’s not.”

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