The streets of Los Angeles have been rocked by protests over the weekend, as crowds have demonstrated against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city.

Local police, federal agents and the National Guard are now all involved, with city and state leaders clashing with the Trump administration over the protests and the federal immigration sweeps within the city.

What’s happened in Los Angeles this weekend in response to ICE raids?

The current round of clashes over immigration policies began on Friday in response to ICE agents conducting raids and arresting dozens of people in heavily Hispanic areas in and near Los Angeles, including the Westlake district and the Paramount suburb south of the city. Protests grew Saturday, with demonstrators gathering around locations, including the Los Angeles Federal Building and a Home Depot in Paramount.

An ICE statement about the situation claimed, “As rioters attacked federal ICE and law enforcement officers on the LA streets, Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”

Los Angeles, CA - June 08: Protesters shutdown the 101 Freeway as they clash with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles due to the immigration raids in L.A. on Sunday, June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
Protesters shutdown the 101 Freeway as they clash with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles due to the immigration raids in L.A. on Sunday, June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. | Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Following a series of aggressive federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, tensions escalated when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a high-profile raid on a Home Depot location. The raid sparked widespread protests across the city, where demonstrators decried the targeting of immigrant communities and the separation of families. Clashes soon broke out between protesters and federal agents, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city, a move harshly criticized by California officials, including the governor, as "purposefully inflammatory."
A Waymo car burns in the street as smoke billows during protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Following a series of aggressive federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, tensions escalated when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a high-profile raid on a Home Depot location. The raid sparked widespread protests across the city, where demonstrators decried the targeting of immigrant communities and the separation of families. Clashes soon broke out between protesters and federal agents, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city, a move harshly criticized by California officials, including the governor, as “purposefully inflammatory.” | Photo by David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP
Demonstrators confront a line of National Guard troops during a protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Tensions remain high after President Trump deployed federal forces despite opposition from local officials.
Demonstrators confront a line of National Guard troops during a protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Tensions remain high after President Trump deployed federal forces despite opposition from local officials. | Photo by David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP

Also on Saturday, President Donald Trump deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops to LA to fight what he has labeled “RIOTS & LOOTERS” in a post on social media.

Clashes continued on Sunday. Some protestors burned empty cars and shot fireworks at police officers, and officers have, in turn, used pepper spray and nonlethal bullets against protestors. The Associated Press reported that an Australian reporter was shot with a rubber bullet while conducting a live broadcast of the protester clashes.

Who’s in charge, and what comes next?

Immigration operations continue to be carried out by federal agents operating under ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. The National Guard has been assigned to protect these agents in their duties. Governors and the president have the authority to deploy the National Guard within a state. In this case, Trump did so over the objection of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. This action marked the first time a president has called in the National Guard without a governor’s approval since 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement. Newsom has condemned the president’s move and said he would sue over the deployment, saying Trump “flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemns National Guard deployment

Normal police operations in Los Angeles are still under the control of the Los Angeles Police Department, which in turn answers to Mayor Karen Bass. The mayor has condemned the National Guard deployment. The New York Times reported that Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said he would not have requested National Guard assistance but was making “a reassessment” in light of escalating violence, which he blamed on “anarchists” rather than immigration protesters.

With protests likely to continue, the situation in Los Angeles remains a standoff between authorities participating in Trump’s immigration sweeps and protesters opposing these raids, using both peaceful and sometimes violent methods to do so as the LA crisis has created a larger standoff between the Trump administration and local and state authorities in California, even as experts warn that Trump may be laying the groundwork to deploy troops in more areas and situations across the United States.