Emily Herr

By Emily Herr

The Scoop Digital Newspaper: June 2025

Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration, with days of fervent protests against recent ICE raids escalating into confrontations with law enforcement, notably including the deployment of the National Guard. This move, ordered by President Trump without the consent of California’s Governor, has ignited a fierce political and legal battle, with state officials threatening lawsuits.

The unrest began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeted areas with significant Latino populations, leading to the arrest of over a hundred individuals. Demonstrators quickly took to the streets, protesting the raids and the broader immigration policies of the Trump administration. Clashes ensued between protesters, local police, and federal agents, with reports of objects being thrown and law enforcement deploying “less-lethal” rounds, tear gas, and flash-bang grenades. Several dozen arrests have been made.

Trump’s Escalatory Response: The National Guard and New Travel Bans

In response to the escalating protests, President Trump signed a memorandum on Saturday night, deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles. This controversial move bypassed California Governor Gavin Newsom’s authority, marking the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request. Trump justified the deployment by citing “violence, clashes and unrest” and asserting the need to ensure the safety of ICE and other federal immigration agents, whom he claimed were under attack by “violent mobs.”

Critics, including Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, have vehemently condemned the deployment, calling it an “abuse of power,” “unnecessary,” and a move that would only “inflame tensions.” They argue that local law enforcement was capable of handling the situation and that the National Guard is not trained for civilian policing, raising concerns about potential harm to protesters and an erosion of democratic principles.

This deployment is part of a broader crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration, which has expressed a goal of enacting the “biggest deportation operation” in US history. Los Angeles, with its large immigrant population, has been a key target for these operations.

Adding to the tensions, President Trump’s near-total travel ban on citizens from 12 countries, many of which have experienced war and displacement, also went into effect on Monday. The administration cites national security reasons, claiming these countries lack sufficient vetting processes and have high rates of visa overstays.

Legal Challenges Mount: California to Sue Trump

In a significant development, California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to sue the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard. Newsom, along with other state and local officials, argues that the activation without state consent is illegal and an unprecedented federal overreach. The lawsuit will challenge the legal basis of Trump’s decision to unilaterally deploy military personnel when no federal interest is genuinely threatened.

This legal action is not an isolated incident. The Trump administration’s immigration policies have faced numerous legal challenges. For instance, a coalition of 20 states, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, recently filed two federal lawsuits contesting federal directives that allegedly condition critical federal disaster and transportation funds on state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. These lawsuits argue that such funding conditions are unconstitutional, as the power to set such conditions rests with Congress, not through unilateral executive actions.

The legal battles underscore the deep divisions and intense opposition to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda, setting the stage for continued confrontations in both the streets and the courts.

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