June 8, 2025
Trump Deploys National Guard To L.A.—Mayor Bass And Gov. Newsom Blast Downtown ICE Raids
California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions.
California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions over ICE raids in Compton and Paramount, not a solution to a perceived problem.
According to NBC 4, approximately 2,000 National Guard members arrived in Los Angeles sometime during the early morning hours of June 8, as more protests are expected to occur throughout the day, following a memo issued by Trump authorizing the mobilization of the National Guard.
The Trump administration has collectively argued that the National Guard troops are necessary to restore peace after sporadic clashes between protestors, federal agents, and other law enforcement officials.
However, according to the Associated Press, federal National Guard troops do not have the authority to carry out civilian law enforcement duties unless the Insurrection Act, an 18th-century wartime law, is invoked, which Trump’s memo did not accomplish.
Notably, the Insurrection Act was used in the past to protect the Little Rock Nine by President Dwight Eisenhower after Arkansas’s governor mobilized the state’s National Guard to keep them out of Central High School after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board decision entitled them to equal access to public schools.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled Trump’s willingness to use the military on Twitter (X) as he threatened to send in active duty Marines unless violence in Los Angeles stopped.
According to The Economist, Trump’s actions are not really about restoring law and order, but also contain a message directed at cities that resist his increasingly unpopular immigration agenda.
Karen Bass, Los Angeles’ mayor, struck a middle ground, calling for peace, but telling KTLA in a phone interview that she believes the response from the Trump administration is overtly political.
“I’m very disappointed that [Trump] chose to [deploy the National Guard] because it was just not necessary. To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it’s the [Trump] administration just posturing,” Bass continued. “I’ve spoken to the governor several times…I have not yet talked to the president, but I have talked to officials high up in his administration, and I expressed to them that things were not out of control in the City of Los Angeles. Paramount had some issues, but I doubt very seriously that there is a need for the National Guard there either. To me, this is just political.”
Turning her attention to the protestors, Bass chided them to remain peaceful, “It is absolutely [the protesters’] right to exercise the First Amendment, but it is completely unacceptable for there to be any level of violence or vandalism of any type,” she said. “These are the very people who don’t want ICE to be involved…this [resulted] in the National Guard [being deployed].”
Newsom, meanwhile, told the AP that Trump’s bid to “take over” the National Guard is “purposefully inflammatory” and that it will “only escalate tensions.”
He continued, “LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
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