Los Angeles Erupts as Protests Against Immigration Raids Turn Violent
Trump Approves Deployment of Troops in California for Border Security
On a turbulent Sunday in downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025, the city was left reeling from a wave of violence that swept through its streets as protests against immigration raids morphed into chaotic clashes with police.
Tensions had been building for days, after nationwide ICE crackdowns targeted neighborhoods across the greater LA area, resulting in the arrest of at least 44 people in a single operation on June 7. As fear and outrage mounted, protesters, waving Mexican flags and voices raised in concern for mass deportations and aggressive enforcement, took to the streets.
The demonstrations began peacefully but quickly escalated as the day progressed, with pockets of intense chaos erupting as some protesters threw eggs, incendiary devices, and even a scooter at police and vandalized local businesses. The mayhem reached a fever pitch near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.
President Donald Trump, ever vocal on the issue of immigration, responded to the escalating unrest by ordering the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to the city, bringing the total number of Guard on federal orders for the protests to over 4,100. This move marked a rare instance where the federal government activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request, sparking a dramatic confrontation between President Trump and California's Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, who condemned the deployment as a “serious breach of state sovereignty.”
As the evening wore on, the peaceful protesters began to thin out and a smaller, more violent fringe element took control, engaging in acts of vandalism and clashes with police. Mayor Bass quickly condemned these actions, stating that they did not represent the broader movement and suggesting that those involved might not be genuine supporters of immigration reform.
In the aftermath, the protests in Los Angeles inspired similar demonstrations in other cities and drew national attention to the ongoing debate over immigration policy and federal-state conflicts over enforcement. Despite the turmoil, the city's residents and leaders remain steadfast in their commitment to standing up for their values and advocating for the rights of all residents, regardless of their immigration status.
The General News expanded beyond Los Angeles, as numerous cities experienced protests echoing the immigration debate, mirroring the events that occurred in California. Meanwhile, the politics of immigration policy and federal-state relations were under intense scrutiny, as President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops without a governor's request sparked a significant dispute.
