ICE raids spark chaos, Trump deploys National Guard: What’s happening in L.A.?

Protests in Los Angeles (Image: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has warned that the federal government would "step in" to address escalating protests in Los Angeles, as federal agents faced a second day of demonstrations following immigration enforcement raids.

President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum to deploy 2,000 National Guardsmen in response to the second day of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the Los Angeles area, the White House announced Saturday night.

Trump accused the Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angeles of failing to do their jobs in a post on his Truth Social account.

He posted, "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, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!"

“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

On the second day of the protest, border patrol personnel were seen in riot gear and gas masks near an industrial park in the city of Paramount in Los Angeles County, California, as the face-off continued between demonstrators and federal agents.

Protesters chanted slogans such as “ICE out of Paramount” and held signs reading “No Human Being is Illegal,” while officers deployed tear gas and closed certain roads.

Timeline of events

ICE agents arrested several people who were flagged as illegal immigrants from multiple locations in Los Angeles after a judge found probable cause that an employer was using fictitious documents for some of their workers, according to the DHS and US attorney's office, as reported by Associated Press.

Agents were blocked by crowd who attempted to halt the arrest, by stopping the vans and then gathering around a federal detention centre, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”

The DHS stated that “1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer-funded property.”

The officer used munitions and tackling protestors, while making arrests. Reportedly smoke grenades were thrown near and pepper spray used in attempt to clear the crowd.

Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass claimed that the activity was meant to “sow terror” in the city.  “As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” she said. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,” she said in a statement.

California senate president Mike McGuire stated, “The ICE raids we’re seeing across LA County today are ruthless, indiscriminate and are designed to instill terror into the lives of Californians. America must put a stop to these fascist tactics.”

At least 45 people were arrested without warrants said Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights. At least 44 individuals across Los Angeles were arrested after raids were conducted. Similar raids also took place in San Diego and Minneapolis.

On the arrest of David Huerta, the union said that he was injured during the arrest and treated at Los Angeles General Hospital before being discharged and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA.

"What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger. This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that's happening. Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals," Huerta said in a statement afterwards.

US Attorney Bill Essayli defended Huerta's arrest stating that he blocked the federal agents from doing their duty. "He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday. Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted," he said.

“Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now,” Salas said, as quoted by The Guardian.

As news of the raids spread, dozens of protestors gathered outside federal detention centers, demanding the release of those arrested. Chaotic scenes were seen outside a Home Depot parking lot, where federal agents escorted detainees to white vans, their hands tied behind their backs.