Members of the California National Guard arrived in Los Angeles Sunday morning (local time, around 7:00 p.m. EDT) after Donald Trump had ordered 2.000 members to the city in response to protests over the mass arrests of immigrants.

As reported by the Washington Post, the US National Guard members who flooded Los Angeles are from the 79th Infantry Brigade, considered the largest unit in California.

#BREAKING: The federalized California National Guard has arrived in Los Angeles just before 4am on Sunday to assist the DHS, LASD, and LAPD, according to @ABC7. 2,000 troops were deployed to Los Angeles, while using LIVE rounds to quell protests and riots. pic.twitter.com/iXWadKxF4T

— Hunter Cullen (@IndictmentTime) June 8, 2025

Note that the city of Paramount in Los Angeles County, where the protests against the mass arrests of immigrants took place this weekend, is a majority Latino community with a high percentage of immigrants, according to census data.

Of the 51,000 residents of Paramount, about 82 percent are Latino and 36 percent are foreign, the Washington Post reports.

Mass detentions of illegal migrants have begun in Los Angeles. In response, large-scale riots broke out, Trump reassigned the National Guard of the state to the federal authorities, as the state authorities actually supported the rioting illegal migrants. pic.twitter.com/4rVMleDwL4

— northWind (@index1441) June 8, 2025

How the events unfolded

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials gathered yesterday morning (Saturday) in Paramount, where several members of the Hispanic community reside, near a Home Depot store, where usually unskilled workers are seeking a living by offering their services. It is unclear whether ICE agents were preparing to arrest illegal immigrants or were gathered there to prepare for an operation.

When their presence was noticed, tensions flared, and the sheriff’s office announced that it had deployed officers to restore order. Protesters threw objects at the officers and attempted to block a bus from leaving the area. Police officers pushed back the gathered crowd with tear gas and flash-bang grenades.

A second demonstration Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles drew about 60 people, who chanted slogans such as “ICE out of L.A.!”

Los Angeles police said via X that “multiple people were arrested for not moving away after multiple warnings were issued.” It gave no other specifics, and there was no official word on arrests.

The first protests erupted Friday night after ICE agents conducted operations in Los Angeles and arrested at least 44 people for immigration violations.

Earlier today, Donald Trump praised the work of the National Guard in Los Angeles.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, conflict, and unrest. We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and an incompetent Mayor (Bass) who, as always (just look at how they handled the fires, and now the VERY SLOW response in preventing the disaster – federal prevention is complete!), have been unable to manage the situation. These radical leftist protests, with instigators and often paid rioters, WILL NOT GO UNINTERRUPTED. Also, from now on, NO MASSES will be allowed in the demonstrations. What do these people have to hide and why? Again, thanks to the National Guard for their excellent work!”