National Guard troops were on the ground in Los Angeles following weekend protests in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies that saw clashes between demonstrators and police officers in riot gear.
Marines at Camp Pendleton were “on high alert,” according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who warned the Pentagon was ready to mobilize troops if “violence continues” in the city.
On the social media platform X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Hegseth’s threat to deploy active troops on American citizens “deranged behavior.”
The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens.
This is deranged behavior.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 8, 2025
In a June 8 social media post Trump said, “These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump signed a memo a day earlier deploying the guardsmen “to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
In an earlier post, Newsome accused Trump of deploying the National Guard “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.”
“Don’t give them one,” added Newsom. “Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
Photos of the protests show protestors carrying Mexican flags, being arrested by police or having milk poured into their eyes after getting caught in chemical agents fired by law enforcement.
The protests came after the Department of Homeland Security said it arrested 118 people accused of being undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles.
Contributing: Bart Jansen; USA TODAY
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA protest photos show tensions over ICE detentions
