Trump deploys National Guard to LA over immigration protests

06/08/2025June 8, 2025

Marines could be sent to LA if violence continues — Hegseth

The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon is prepared to send active duty Marines to Los Angeles, where there have been violent clashes between protesters and security forces.

The unrest began on Friday after at least 44 migrants were detained in multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city.

Hegseth's announcement that US Marines could be deployed came shortly after the White House said it was sending 2,000 National Guard troops to LA in response to the violence.

Marines are considered to be among the best trained and most elite in the US Armed Forces. They are known for amphibious landings and unconventional warfare in overseas operations.

"And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert," Hegseth said on X.

"The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK," the defense secretary said.

Hegseth added that "violence and destruction" against federal agents and facilities would not be tolerated.

06/08/2025June 8, 2025

White House to deploy National Guard to quell LA protests

LA has seen violent clashes between police and demonstrators since Friday's ICE raidsImage: Daniel Cole/REUTERS

The administration of US President Donald Trump said Saturday it will deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

Protesters have been clashing with security forces in the West coast city since dozens of migrants were detained in multiple raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Friday. 

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the "violent mobs" that have attacked officers "carrying out basic deportation operations" which she said were "essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals" into the country.

"In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens. That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," Leavitt said.

Trump's so-called border czar, Tom Homan, also confirmed to US broadcaster Fox News on Saturday that federal authorities were "going to bring the National Guard in tonight."

"We are making Los Angeles safer. Mayor (Karen) Bass should be thanking us," Homan said.

Bass had said that LA authorities would "not stand" for immigrants being targeted by ICE.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was criticized and mocked by Trump earlier on Saturday, has slammed the move, calling it "purposefully inflammatory."

"The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions," Newsom said on X.

"This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust," the governor added.

06/08/2025June 8, 2025

Federal gov't will 'step in' if LA protests continue — Trump

US President Donald Trump has warned that the federal government will "step in" unless authorities in Los Angeles and California clamp down on protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Protesters in the country's second-largest city have clashed with ICE agents on Friday and Saturday after dozens of migrants were detained in multiple raids. 

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!"

The president did not provide further details about what sort of action the federal government would take.

His remarks come after Bass and Governor Newsom criticized the White House and its crackdown on undocumented migrants, which is being spearheaded by ICE.

After Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass condemned the ICE raids on Friday, in which at least 44 people were detained, the governor of the state Gavin Newsom also criticized the federal government's "chaotic immigration sweeps across the country."

Newsom said California was "deploying additional CHP (California Highway Patrol) to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace."

The governor pointed out that CHP officers were not required to "assist in federal immigration enforcement." 

"The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves," Newsom said in the post on X.

06/08/2025June 8, 2025

Protests continue in LA after immigration raids

The immigration raids have become a flashpoint between the federal government and LA city leadersImage: Daniel Cole/REUTERS

Protesters denouncing immigration raids clashed with security forces in Los Angeles for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

In tense scenes, federal Border Patrol agents in riot gear and gas masks faced off with demonstrators in the city of Paramount in southeast LA.

Officers used tear gas in a bid to disperse the protesters.

The protests come after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested at least 44 immigrants in raids on multiple locations on Friday. 

Trump has promised to deport undocumented migrants Image: Eric Thayer/AP/picture alliance

According to the Department of Homeland Security, some 1,000 rioters "surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property" on Friday.

The arrests come amid a clampdown on undocumented migrants that has been promoted by President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to deport thousands of immigrants living in the country illegally.

LA Mayor Karen Bass has condemned the ICE raids, which she said "sow terror in our communities."

Los Angeles, the country's second largest city which has long been run by Democratic officials, is home to millions of Hispanic-Americans and foreign-born nationals.

"We will not stand for this," she said in a post on X.

In a statement, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons slammed the protests, calling the scenes "appalling" and accusing Bass of taking "the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement."

"These violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers, and make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens," Lyons added.

White House aide Stephen Miller said on X that Friday's protests were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States."

06/08/2025June 8, 2025

China, US delegations to meet for more trade talks next week

Trump has said Xi is 'extremely hard to make a deal with'Image: Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS

China has confirmed that Vice Premier He Lifeng will meet with a United States delegation on Monday to discuss a trade deal with Washington.

He, who will be visiting the United Kingdom from June 8 to June 13, will meet with US officials for the "first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

The talks come amid a fragile truce in the two rival powers' trade dispute, which was sparked by Donald Trump's tariffs.

The US leader temporarily raised "reciprocal" tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, with Beijing responding with a 125% tariff.

After a meeting in Geneva last month, both sides agreed to lower the tariffs for 90 days while trade negotiations play out.

But tensions have remained high, with Trump accusing China of violating the truce and saying his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is "extremely hard to make a deal with."

Trump had confirmed on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday that high-ranking officials from the US and China would be meeting for trade talks in London.

Washington's delegation will feature Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the US president said.

06/07/2025June 7, 2025

Trump warns Musk against funding Democrats

Musk has claimed that Trump would have lost the election without his support Image: Brandon Bell/REUTERS

US President Donald Trump has warned Elon Musk that the tech billionaire would face "serious consequences" if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans who have backed Trump's signature tax bill.

The legislation has been at the heart of the pair's very public break up, after Musk took to his social media platform X on Thursday to slam what Trump has touted as his "big, beautiful" tax bill.

Musk, who was one of Trump's top donors in the 2024 presidential election, has called the bill "an abomination."

It has been suggested that the South Africa-born billionaire might look to punish Republicans who voted for the spending bill by backing their Democratic opponents in primary elections in November.

In an interview with US broadcaster NBC News, Trump said Musk would "have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," without specifying what they would look like.

The US president also said he had "no" desire to mend his relationship with Musk, who he called "disrespectful," and that he has "no intention of speaking to him."
 
Musk and Trump had been close allies, with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO serving as a special advisor overseeing Trump's cost-cutting initiatives at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until he left the role on May 30.

Within days, the pair became embroiled in a bitter argument that has played out on social media.

As the feud escalated, Musk alleged on X — in posts that have since been deleted — that Trump was implicated in the unreleased government files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who hanged himself in his prison cell in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

"Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk said in the now-deleted posts, without providing evidence backing his claim. "That is the real reason they have not been made public."

Trump spoke to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted those posts. In the interview, the president dismissed the claims as "old news" and said "even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with" the late financiers' alleged crimes.

06/07/2025June 7, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

The public spat between erstwhile billionaire buddies Donald Trump and Elon Musk continued Saturday, with the US president saying he has no plans to speak with his former advisor.

Musk this week sharply criticized Trump's signature legislation, which the US president calls his "big, beautiful" tax bill.

The American leader has warned Musk — who spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars backing Trump's election campaign — that he will face "serious consequences" if he funds Democratic challengers to Republicans who voted for the legislation in upcoming primaries in November.

Meanwhile, Beijing says China's vice premier will meet a US delegation in the United Kingdom next week for trade talks

Stay tuned for the latest on Trump and other developments in the US on Saturday June 7, 2025.