Tensions in LA

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Following protests against immigration policies and officers in California and clashes between police and demonstrators, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, who has long been in sharp disagreement with Donald Trump, stated in a post on X that the federal government was "taking complete control of California’s National Guard." He called the move "deliberate and provocative" and warned that such a decision would only "heighten tensions."

Newsom said: "The federal government has seized control of California’s National Guard and deployed 2,000 troops to Los Angeles, not due to a lack of police force, but because they are seeking a show and staging." He further warned: "Don’t let them achieve their goal."

In response, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that National Guard troops had been mobilized "immediately" and threatened that if unrest continued, "Marine Corps troops" would also be deployed.

Donald Trump also reacted to Gavin Newsom on Saturday in a post on the Truth platform, writing: "If Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles cannot do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the federal government will step in and solve the problem of riots and looters the way it should be solved!"

According to The Guardian, tensions began on Friday when protesters clashed with police officers conducting immigration operations in several downtown locations. On Saturday, U.S. immigration forces expanded their operations to Paramount, a predominantly Latino area southeast of Los Angeles, and faced a gathering of protesters outside an industrial park.

During a hours-long standoff, Border Patrol agents lined up in riot gear and gas masks outside the park, firing tear gas as protesters and bystanders gathered on both sides of the street. Some individuals were filming with their phones and chanting slogans against the security forces.

One of the signs read: "No human is illegal."

Security forces and protesters mostly maintained their distance, though tear gas filled the air, and some canisters were thrown back and forth. Among the several hundred protesters, some had been injured by plastic bullets.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, more than a dozen people have been arrested and charged with "interfering with immigration officers’ duties."

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also said their office had arrested two individuals on charges of assaulting officers. One protester had thrown a Molotov cocktail, injuring 3 officers with minor wounds. The department emphasized that their role was solely traffic and crowd control and that they had not participated in any federal operations.

By Saturday evening, the number of protesters in Paramount had decreased compared to the afternoon, but tensions between security forces and demonstrators persisted in some areas. Gatherings had also formed in the nearby city of Compton, with reports of glass bottles being thrown at police officers, who responded with tear gas.

Karoline Leavitt, a White House spokesperson, accused California’s Democratic leaders on Saturday evening of "completely abdicating their responsibility for their citizens’ safety."