Violent clashes between protesters and US police in Los Angeles

Protesters burned cars and clashed with police in Los Angeles on Sunday as riots over the detention of immigrants continued for a third day, with National Guard troops deployed by President Donald Trump on the streets of the second-largest US city.

The raids, which began in broad daylight in a city with a large Latino population, were expected to spark angry reactions.

But opponents say Trump, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a key plank of his second term, was deliberately inflaming tensions by deploying the California National Guard, a reserve military force that typically reports to the state’s governor.

“We didn’t have a problem until Trump intervened,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X.

“This is a serious violation of state sovereignty… It inflames tensions while diverting resources from where they are needed… Rescind the order… Return control to California, ” he added.

At least three Waymo self-driving cars caught fire Sunday afternoon, and two others were vandalized as protesters roamed a limited area of ​​downtown Los Angeles.

Traffic was halted on a major highway for more than an hour as dozens of people thronged the road.

California Highway Patrol agents drove them away using stun grenades and smoke bombs.

But after an early, limited confrontation between federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security and dozens of protesters at a detention center, all clashes became linked to local law enforcement.

By afternoon, Los Angeles police officers had established lines some distance from federal buildings, preventing contact between angry protesters and dozens of armed National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who had assembled in helmets and camouflage.

Trump, who has made combating illegal immigration a top priority of his second term, pledged that the National Guard would enforce “law and order,” leaving the door open to deploying troops to other cities.

When asked about the use of the National Guard, Trump hinted at the possibility of deploying troops more widely in other parts of the country.

Trump told reporters that the forces sent to Los Angeles would enforce “very strong law and order,” adding, “there are violent people out there, and we’re not going to let them get away with it”.

Asked about invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the deployment of military forces to suppress protests, Trump said, “We’re looking at troops everywhere… We won’t let that happen in our country”.

Democratic governors of US states on Sunday condemned Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, stating that the authority to do so rests with the state governor.

The governors said in a joint statement that the move “constitutes a dangerous abuse of power”.

The US Northern Command, part of the Department of Defense responsible for national defense, said that “approximately 500 Marines … are ready to deploy if necessary, to reinforce and support” ongoing federal operations.

The National Guard, which is considered as a reserve military is often called in during natural disasters such as the Los Angeles fires, and sometimes during civil unrest, but generally with the approval of local officials.

Republicans on Sunday affirmed their support for Trump in rejecting statements by Newsom and other local officials that the protests were largely peaceful and that deploying the National Guard would exacerbate tensions.

“I’m not concerned about that at all,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC News, saying Newsom “has shown an inability or unwillingness to do what’s needed there, so the president stepped in”.

Commenting on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s suggestion of using the Marines to support the National Guard, Johnson said he didn’t see it as an exaggeration, adding, “We’ve to be ready to do what is necessary”.

Since taking office in January, Trump has implemented his pledge to crack down on undocumented immigrants, whom he has likened to “beasts” and “animals”.

On Friday, armed and masked immigration agents carried out raids in several parts of Los Angeles, prompting angry crowds to gather and sparking clashes that lasted for hours.

A CBS News poll conducted before the Los Angeles protests showed that a slight majority of Americans still support the anti-immigration campaign.

On the other hand, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum defended immigrants living in the United States on Sunday.

“Mexicans living in the United States are honest men and women who went in search of a better life and to provide for their families… They aren’t criminals,” Sheinbaum said.