Immigration: The Battle Of Los Angeles
Trump’s directive, signed Saturday, represents an extraordinary use of presidential power.
LOS ANGELES — Tensions in Southern California erupted into a national flashpoint this weekend after President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles County—without the consent of California’s governor—marking a rare and controversial escalation in the federal immigration crackdown.
The surprise move followed a wave of protests and confrontations between Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and demonstrators in the cities of Paramount and Compton. In one incident, a vehicle was set ablaze, underscoring the unrest brewing across the region in response to aggressive federal enforcement actions.
Trump’s directive, signed Saturday, represents an extraordinary use of presidential power. Legal scholars and state officials noted it could be the first time in decades that a National Guard unit has been federalized without a request or consent from a state governor.
California Governor Gavin Newsom pushed back, calling on the administration to reverse the order and return operational control of the Guard to the state.
Speaking Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom announced California is preparing a legal challenge, arguing the order defies both constitutional norms and long-standing precedent.
Meanwhile, federal agents pressed ahead. ICE officers executed multiple search warrants Friday across the Los Angeles area, including a dramatic raid near a clothing warehouse in the city’s Fashion District.
According to Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the actions stemmed from a judge’s finding of probable cause that some employers were using fraudulent documents for workers.
Stephen Miller, the Trump administration’s newly appointed "border czar," defended the operation and warned that enforcement would continue “every day” in Los Angeles. He went further, hinting that even elected officials who obstruct immigration agents could face arrest.
On Capitol Hill, reaction fell along partisan lines. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), whose district spans a swath of the southern border, praised the Guard deployment and suggested the crackdown in Los Angeles is “just the tip of the iceberg” as Trump intensifies his efforts to curtail unauthorized immigration.
The latest moves come as deportation figures continue to rise sharply. NBC News reports that ICE deported 11,000 migrants in February, more than 12,300 in March, and an estimated 17,200 in April—a surge federal officials say is part of a broader campaign to restore what Trump has called “law and order” in major urban centers.
As the standoff escalates between Washington and Sacramento, the legal and political battle over immigration enforcement is poised to deepen. For residents of Los Angeles—especially undocumented communities—the uncertainty looms larger by the day.
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