U.S. National Guard Clashes with Pro-Immigration Demonstrators in Los Angeles

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tear gas was fired at protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday as some demonstrators confronted U.S. National Guard troops and shouted insults. The clash occurred hours after an extraordinary military deployment ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, despite objections from California's governor and the Mayor of Los Angeles.

The confrontation took place as hundreds of people protested outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where some newly arrived U.S. National Guard troops stood shoulder-to-shoulder behind plastic riot shields.

As reported by Arab News, video footage showed uniformed officers firing rounds of smoke-filled canisters as they advanced down the street, forcing the protesters to retreat. It remained unclear what prompted the use of the weapons or which law enforcement agency fired them.

A few minutes later, loud bangs were heard again as some protesters shouted "go home" and "shame" at the National Guard members. One person was brought to the ground by uniformed officers. Others appeared to have blood on their heads.

Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles early Sunday on Trump's orders. He accused Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials of failing to halt recent protests targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

This move appears to mark the first time in decades that a state's National Guard has been activated without a request from its governor, signifying a significant escalation against those who seek to obstruct the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts.

Weekend Protests Escalated

The deployment of the U.S. National Guard followed two days of protests that began on Friday in downtown Los Angeles, before spreading to Paramount, a predominantly Hispanic city in the south, and nearby Compton on Saturday.

As federal agents set up staging areas on Saturday near a Home Depot in Paramount, demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of concrete. In response, agents in riot gear reportedly fired tear gas, flash-bang explosives, and pepper balls.

Tensions escalated following a series of immigration enforcement sweeps a day earlier, which saw the number of immigrant arrests in the city surge to over 100. A prominent labor union leader was arrested while protesting and charged with obstructing law enforcement.

The mobilization of the U.S. National Guard was carried out despite Governor Gavin Newsom's objection, who accused Trump of a "complete overreaction" designed to create a spectacle of violence.

The recent protests, however, remain much smaller than previous events that brought the National Guard to Los Angeles, including the Watts and Rodney King riots, as well as the 2020 protests against police violence, in which Newsom had sought federal assistance.

The last time the National Guard was called up without a governor's permission was in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect civil rights marchers in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

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