By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles this weekend as large-scale protests erupted following federal immigration raids.
The protests come as the Trump administration faces strong criticism over its deportation program. However, recent polling suggests the administration’s deportation program has the support from a majority of Americans.
Chaos unfolded in Los Angeles as crowds took over streets, shutting down traffic. Some vandalized—and even destroyed—law enforcement vehicles. One individual even drove a motorcycle into a crowd of officers.
The unrest prompted President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to “protect federal property and quell unrest,” using a legal provision known as Title 10 Authority. Under Title 10, the president can federalize a state’s National Guard under certain circumstances, including “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.”
“There was a lot of violence there. There was a lot of violence, and it could have gotten much worse. But you have an incompetent governor,” said President Trump, referring to California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. “I did call him the other night. I said, look, you got to take care of this, otherwise I’m sending in the troops. That’s what we did,” Trump added.
It’s the first time the National Guard has been deployed in direct opposition to a state’s governor since the civil rights movement. Gov. Newsom immediately denounced the deployment, calling it “a serious breach of state sovereignty.”
On Monday afternoon, California’s attorney general announced a lawsuit against President Trump over the federalizing of the National Guard without the governor’s consent.
“I think the governor probably does have a good basis to file the lawsuit because the troops were federalized here under Title 10, which has specific requirements and elements that need to be met in order for that federalization to take place,” said Stephen Cazares, partner at Foundation Law Group. “There’s a last element that the deployment shall be through the office of the governor. So basically, the governor has got to be a part of the decision making.”
Cazares, a former Los Angeles federal prosecutor, said he wasn’t surprised by the large-scale protests.
“I mean, it doesn’t surprise me at all. In this community, pretty much everyone knows someone who is undocumented, or they think may be undocumented. We live together. We go to school together. We work together. And so it doesn’t surprise me that that many in the community responded in the way they have.”
However, Cazares noted that instigators or other bad actors find their way into otherwise peaceful protests. Oftentimes, the bad actors are from outside the community.
“And there are always instigators within the normal kind of protesters who are doing it peacefully the way they’re supposed to,” said Cazares. “The opportunists take this opportunity, this and these events to, you know, raise a ruckus to cause trouble. I’m not sure exactly why that really makes sense to me. But we see it over and over and over again.”
Cazares added that regardless of one’s political ideology, it’s important to understand that immigration enforcement, historically, tends to have bipartisan support.
“Enforcement of the immigration laws is controversial, but it’s also pretty bipartisan, historically,” said Cazares.
As of last week, most Americans approved of the Trump administration’s deportation program. A CBS News/YouGov poll found that 54% of Americans support the administration’s program to deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.
Many members of Congress are weighing in on the matter—not just those who represent parts of California, but also lawmakers from across the country, including Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D- Mich.).
“Everyday Americans who want safe communities are thrilled that ICE is getting depraved criminal illegals off our streets. The riots in LA are a product of the extreme left & professional agitators,” said Langworthy on social media Monday. “The Senate must pass the Big Beautiful Bill so we can secure our borders NOW!”
“This deployment of the National Guard is a dangerous step towards misuse of the U.S. military in our streets. This Administration has been looking for excuses to invoke the Insurrection Act, to use the U.S. military against Americans. That’s their playbook, and we should be clear-eyed about that,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in a post on social media over the weekend. “It’s hard to make the case that this deployment is about public safety instead of politics, when law enforcement leaders did not request the military to intervene.”
As of Monday afternoon, 700 Marines were mobilized to support the National Guard in Los Angeles.