What to know about the Los Angeles immigration protests after citywide ICE operations

Protests broke out on Saturday across Los Angeles following dozens of arrests the day prior in citywide Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. 

In response, President Trump signed a memo Saturday ordering the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles County due to clashes between immigration authorities and demonstrators.

Here’s what to know about the unrest occurring in L.A.

How did the Los Angeles protests start? 

ICE officers executed search warrants at multiple locations Friday, including outside a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District. The action came after a judge found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A tense scene unfolded outside as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away.

Protests also centered Friday around a federal building in downtown L.A. after word spread among demonstrators that detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of that building.   

Advocates for immigrants’ rights said there were also migration detentions outside Home Depot and Dale’s Donuts stores.

On Saturday, protests erupted in the L.A. County city of Paramount after it appeared that federal law enforcement officers were conducting another immigration operation there. 

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said non-lethal munitions were fired by federal agents prior to deputies’ arriving at the scene.    

CBS News Los Angeles footage showed some protesters attempting to get in the way of a U.S. Marshals Service bus, while others threw rocks and other objects at law enforcement vehicles. The protests also spread to the nearby city of Compton. 

Who was detained?

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrests of 118 immigrants this week, including 44 people in Friday’s operations. Those arrests included five people linked to criminal organizations and people with prior criminal histories, DHS said.

Following the Friday arrests, protesters gathered in the evening outside a federal detention center, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”

Some held signs with anti-ICE slogans, and some scrawled graffiti on the building.

Among those arrested at the protests was David Huerta, regional president of the Service Employees International Union. Justice Department spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy confirmed that he was being held Saturday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled Monday court appearance.

It was not clear whether Huerta had legal representation.

What has Trump said about the L.A. protests, and why is he deploying the National Guard? 

Mr. Trump signed a memo Saturday night using Title 10 Authority to order the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to L.A. County for “for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense.”

“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 president posted to his Truth Social platform Saturday evening. 

A Defense Department official told CBS News that the vast majority of the 2,000 soldiers are from the California National Guard. 

“In addition, the Secretary of Defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion,” the memo read. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post that the National Guard was being mobilized “IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles.” Hegseth added that if the violence continues, he would also mobilize “active duty Marines” from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. He said the Marines were already on “high alert.”  

Trump administration border czar Tom Homan said in an interview on Fox News earlier Saturday that “we’re going to bring National Guard in tonight. We’re going to continue doing our job. We’re going to push back on these people, and we’re going to enforce the law.”

The president also used Title 10 authority to order the deployment of troops to the southern border to enact his immigration crackdown after taking office in January. The use of Title 10 authority is a waiver of the Posse Comitatus Act, which is a U.S. federal law that restricts the use of the U.S. military for law enforcement within the U.S., except in cases explicitly authorized by the Constitution or an Act of Congress.  

How have local officials responded to the L.A. protests? 

A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom told CBS News Saturday night that Newsom called Mr. Trump and the two spoke for about 40 minutes.   

Prior to that phone call, Newsom wrote on social media that the “federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. 

Newsom said the deployment is “the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

Whether the president can call in the National Guard without Newsom’s approval is unclear. 

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said that city officials had “been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward.”