The Latest: Trump authorizes the deployment of additional 2,000 National Guard members

A California Highway Patrol officer pulls an electric scooter off a vehicle on a highway as protesters throw objects at the police vehicles near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. Credit: AP/Ethan Swope
President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles, according to the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson. The latest order brings the total number of Guard put on federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100.
The news comes hours after the Pentagon deployed about 700 Marines to the protests to work alongside local law enforcement.
The initial 2,100 National Guard members were expected to be on the ground in LA Monday evening, but it wasn't yet clear if they had all arrived.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the National Guard deployment “unlawful” and said it “trampled” on the state's sovereignty. Bonta sued the Trump administration Monday in response. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC that he also plans to file suit Monday against the Trump administration.
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.
Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
Here is a look at the latest:

A police officer fires a soft round near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. Credit: AP/Eric Thayer
Demonstrations stretch into the late evening in LA
Law enforcement was pushing a couple hundred protesters east through Little Tokyo as night began to approach on Monday.
Officers, who all appeared to be from the Los Angeles Police Department, used flash bangs and shot projectiles into the crowd as they pushed the protesters through a crowded, popular commercial area where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way. Some protesters set off fireworks and threw water bottles at the officers, yelling “Shame!” or chanting, “ICE out of LA.”
The protesters had been pushed earlier in the evening away from the downtown federal detention center.
US attorney general says protesters engaging in violence and destruction will be aggressively charged
Attorney General Pam Bondi said during an interview on Fox News Monday evening that the Justice Department will use a civil disorder charge to go after people who assault law enforcement and will also pursue federal charges against people who burglarize businesses.

Protesters throw objects to the police vehicles on a Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. Credit: AP/Ethan Swope
“If California won’t protect their law enforcement, we will protect the LAPD and the sheriff’s office out there,” Bondi said on “Hannity.”
Bondi said authorities have identified a suspect wanted for throwing broken pieces of cinderblocks at law enforcement vehicles, injuring an officer. The FBI had been offering a $50,000 reward leading to the suspect’s identification and arrest.
‘Our city is trying to move forward’
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ended a news briefing with a plea to the federal government: “Stop the raids.”
“I hope that we will be heard because our city is trying to move forward, and I believe the federal government should be supportive.”
LA mayor says local immigrant rights groups have confirmed at least 5 ICE raids
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said they were still working to compile more information on the raids that took place throughout LA.
She also criticized the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines, calling it a “deliberate attempt” by the Trump administration to “create disorder and chaos in our city.”
“I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,” Bass said.
Pentagon confirms 2,000 more National Guard troops deploying to California to support ICE
Sean Parnell’s post on X confirmed earlier statements on X by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the Guard number was being doubled.
The latest order brings the total number of Guard troops put on federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100.
Newsom had posted that the deployment order was reckless and not about public safety.
Parnell said the added troops will be there to support ICE and “enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties.”
The additional troops could take a day or two to arrive because the order was just given Monday evening.
Trump warns protesters against confronting police, but pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters
The president has posted a warning on social media to those who are demonstrating in Los Angeles against his immigration crackdown and confronting police and members of the National Guard: “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”
That’s a contrast to how the president responded to the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an assault that left about 140 police officers injured.
Trump pardoned hundreds of them in one of the first acts of his second term as president. Roughly 180 of the defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement or obstructing officers during a civil disorder.
“Trump’s behavior makes clear that he only values the rule of law and the people who enforce it when it’s to his political advantage,” said Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College.
Trump authorizes deployment of additional 2,000 National Guard members, US officials say
That order would put the National Guard members on active duty.
One official said, however, that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on X he had been informed of the decision. He called the move reckless and “disrespectful to our troops.”
“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” Newsom said.
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— Lolita C. Baldor, Tara Copp, Jason Dearen and Tim Sullivan.
California attorney general files lawsuit over deployment of National Guard
The lawsuit filed Monday afternoon by Attorney General Rob Bonta says Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth violated the law and exceeded their constitutional authorities when they federalized the National Guard without going through the governor of California.
It described the unrest in Los Angeles as “primarily peaceful protests with some acts of violence or civil disobedience” that “do not rise to the level of a rebellion.”
The lawsuit also alleges Trump violated the 10th Amendment, which is designed to protect state power from federal intrusion.
“This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in press release on the lawsuit. “Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach.”
Dozens arrested and hundreds of less-than-lethal rounds used in LA protests
Los Angeles police say they arrested 29 people Saturday night “for failure to disperse” and made 21 more arrests on Sunday on charges ranging from attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assault on a police officer to looting.
The police department also has confirmed in a news release that it used tear gas and more than 600 rubber bullets and other less-than-lethal munitions over the weekend. The department says five officers sustained minor injuries.
LAPD chief says Marines’ arrival could cause problems if it’s not coordinated with police
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell says the department has not been given any “formal notification” that the Marines will be coming to the city.
He said in a statement Monday afternoon that the police department is confident in its ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines’ arrival without coordinating with the police department would present “a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city.”
“We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time,” he added.
Hegseth got advice about Marine deployment from Joint Chiefs chairman
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted late Saturday that he was considering deploying the Marines to respond to the unrest after getting advice earlier in the day from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a U.S. official said.
Still, the tweet, which was posted to Hegseth’s personal X account and not to his official government account, took many inside the Pentagon by surprise. As late as Monday, the military’s highest offices were still considering the potential ramifications.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public.
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— Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor
Pentagon working on rules to guide Marines heading to LA
The Pentagon is working on a memo that will lay out the steps the 700 Marines can take to protect federal personnel and property during protests over immigration raids.
Those guidelines also will include specifics on the possibility that they could temporarily detain civilians until they could be turned over to law enforcement if troops are under assault or to prevent harm, a U.S. official said.
Each Marine should receive a card explaining what they can and cannot do, another U.S. official said.
For example, warning shots would be prohibited, according to use-of-force draft documents viewed by The Associated Press. Marines are directed to de-escalate a situation whenever possible but also are authorized to act in self-defense, the documents say.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public.
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— Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor
Huerta speaks to media after his release
Labor leader David Huerta told reporters after his release from federal detention that he did not intended to get arrested.
“This fight is ours, it’s our community’s, but it belongs to everyone,” Huerta said in Spanish outside the federal courthouse after his bond hearing. “We all have to fight for them.”
Huerta said the individuals being held inside the federal detention facility where he was detained since Friday each have their own immigration stories.
He also said that violence was not the answer and the only way to win change was through non-violence.
New York Mayor Eric Adams calls escalating LA immigration protests ‘unacceptable’
Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said they will honor the rights of New Yorkers to protest peacefully, but won’t tolerate demonstrations that involve property destruction, blocking entrances to buildings or assaults of law enforcement officials.
“We will not allow violence and lawlessness,” Adams, a former captain with the New York Police Department, said during remarks broadcast online.
California senator praises labor leader David Huerta’s release
California Sen. Adam Schiff attended the bond hearing for Huerta on Monday. He said he was pleased an agreement was reached between Huerta’s lawyer and the government for his release and called Huerta “an important leader here in California.”
Schiff said Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard has not helped.
“This whole escalation we’re seeing in Los Angeles is so utterly unnecessary and unwarranted,” he said. “All this is just intended to add fuel to the fire.”
Schiff called for an end to violence, vandalism and assaults on law enforcement. He also called on the Trump administration to focus its deportation efforts on violent offenders.
“We need to just focus on getting things calmed down here in Los Angeles so people can go about their business,” he said.
Marines won’t do law enforcement in LA
The Marines and National Guard troops are not expected to do law enforcement duties, which are prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Marines are being deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command announced Monday.
Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act to allow them to do law enforcement. It has not been clear if he intends to do so.
700 Marines have been formally deployed to the Los Angeles protests
The Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will work with the roughly 2,100 National Guard troops on the ground to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command says.
The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.
The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.
Northern Command said the forces will all be under Task Force 51, commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, deputy commander of U.S. Army North.
Federal immigration agents spotted around LA County
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were at a Home Depot in Huntington Park on Monday morning, city spokesperson Sergio Infanzon confirmed.
They were also at a public library parking lot and City Hall in Whittier, the city stated in a press release.
“We understand how stressful and upsetting this is for many in our community,” the press release said. “We urge residents to remain calm, avoid confrontation, and prioritize personal safety.”
Jonathan Sanabria, a Huntington Park city councilmember, posted on Instagram urging community members to stay away from Home Depot stores.
Detained California union leader David Huerta released on $50,000 bond
Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, was arrested Friday while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles.
His arrest became a rallying cry for union members nationwide and Democratic politicians who have called for his release.
His release came as marchers were moving through downtown after a rally by the SEIU.
Marines will be deployed to LA to respond to immigration protests
The Pentagon is expected to formally deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles in the coming hours to help National Guard members respond to immigration protests, three U.S. officials said Monday.
The Marines are coming from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military plans. The deployment was first reported by CNN.
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