National Guard faces off with protesters hours after arriving in Los Angeles on Trump’s orders

LOS ANGELES AP Tear gas was fired at protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday when a few demonstrators moved close to National Guard troops and shouted insults at them hours after President Donald Trump s extraordinary deployment of the military over the objections of the governor and mayor The confrontation broke out as hundreds of people protested in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles where several of the newly-arrived National Guard troops stood shoulder to shoulder behind plastic riot shields Video evidenced uniformed officers shooting off the smoke-filled canisters as they advanced into the street forcing protesters to retreat It was not straightaway clear what prompted the use of chemical irritants or which law enforcement agency fired them Minutes later loud popping sounds erupted again as particular protesters chanted go home and shame One person was taken to the ground by uniformed officers Another appeared to be bleeding from their head Around National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles early Sunday on orders from Trump who accused Gov Gavin Newsom and other Democrats of failing to stanch new protests targeting immigration agents The move appeared to be the first time in decades that a state s national guard was activated without a request from its governor a notable escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration s mass deportation efforts Deployment follows days of protest The deployment followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount a heavily Latino city south of the city and neighboring Compton As federal agents set up a staging area Saturday near a Home Depot in Paramount demonstrators attempted to block Margin Patrol vehicles with chosen hurling rocks and chunks of cement In response agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas flash-bang explosives and pepper balls Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration functionaries the previous day as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed above A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement The deployment of the National Guard came over the objections of Gov Gavin Newsom who accused Trump of a complete overreaction designed to create a spectacle of force The latest protests remain far smaller than past events that have brought the National Guard to Los Angeles including the Watts and Rodney King riots and the protests against police violence in which Newsom requested the assistance of federal troops The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor s permission was in when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama according to the Brennan Center for Justice Trump says there will be very strong law and order In a directive Saturday Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal utility members when there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Executive of the United States He stated he had authorized the deployment of members of the National Guard Trump narrated reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown New Jersey Sunday that there were violent people in Los Angeles and they re not gonna get away with it Urged if he planned to send U S troops to Los Angeles Trump replied We re gonna have troops everywhere We re not going to let this happen to our country We re not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden He didn t elaborate Trump also explained that California personnel who stand in the way of the deportations could face charges A Wisconsin judge was arrested last month on accusations she helped a man evade immigration agents If leaders stay in the way of law and order yeah they will face charges Trump stated Newsom called Trump on Friday night and they spoke for about minutes according to the governor s office It was not clear if they spoke Saturday or Sunday There was various confusion surrounding the exact timing of the guard s arrival Shortly before midnight local time Trump congratulated the National Guard on a job well done But less than an hour later Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass revealed troops had yet to arrive in the city Defense secretary threatens to deploy active-duty Marines if violence continues In a declaration Sunday Assistant Homeland Prevention Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused California s politicians and protesters of defending heinous illegal alien criminals at the expense of Americans safety Instead of rioting they should be thanking ICE officers every single day who wake up and make our communities safer McLaughlin added The troops included members of the California Army National Guard s th Infantry Brigade Combat Crew according to a social media post from the Department of Defense In a signal of the administration s aggressive approach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened to deploy active-duty Marines if violence continues in the region Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders mentioned the order by Trump reflected a president moving this country rapidly into authoritarianism and usurping the powers of the United States Congress House Speaker Mike Johnson a staunch Trump ally endorsed the president s move doubling down on Republicans criticisms of California Democrats Gavin Newsom has shown an inability or an unwillingness to do what is necessary so the president stepped in Johnson disclosed