The Trump administration has deployed the California National Guard in response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles, which erupted on June 6 over federal immigration enforcement actions. The demonstrations have led to clashes between protesters and law enforcement, prompting a forceful federal response, according to a White House statement.
As tensions escalated, the Los Angeles Police Department declared the entire downtown area an unlawful assembly, ordering all demonstrators to disperse. “Downtown Los Angeles has been declared as an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. You are to leave the Downtown Area immediately,” the LAPD announced on social media.
Protesters had earlier blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway, intensifying the standoff with authorities. In response, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to California to, in the words of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “address the lawlessness” surrounding the protests.
California Governor Gavin Newsom strongly condemned the move, calling it an attempt by the federal government to “take over the California National Guard.” He labeled the deployment “purposefully inflammatory” and warned it would “only escalate tensions” in an already volatile situation.
