Trump authorizes 2,000 national guard troops to deploy to LA amid Ice protests

California governor calls move ‘purposefully inflammatory’ and says it will ‘escalate tensions’ amid immigration crackdown

Donald Trump on Saturday authorized the deployment of 2,000 national guard troops to Los Angeles, after an immigration crackdown erupted into mass protests with police in riot gear using teargas on bystanders.

Shortly before the release of the White House statement, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said in a statement on X that the federal government was “moving to take over” the California national guard. Newsom said the move was “purposefully inflammatory” and warned that it would “only escalate tensions”.