National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles County as anti-ICE protests rage: border czar Tom Homan
The National Guard will be deployed to Los Angeles County after anti-ICE protests continued to escalate Saturday afternoon, Trump administration border czar Tom Homan told Fox News Saturday.
On Saturday, tear gas was deployed near Home Depot in Paramount, California, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were allegedly conducting a raid.
Following the raid, a violent protest broke out and several arrests were made for assault on a federal agent, according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to call out state and local leadership's inaction.
"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!!!" Trump wrote.
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Newsom responded on X, claiming 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 wrote. "LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust."
Newsom noted California is deploying additional California Highway Patrol troopers to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways "to keep the peace."
"It's not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement," Newsom wrote in another post. "The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves."
Vice President JD Vance clarified the border crisis is an invasion.
"One of the main technical issues in the immigration judicial battles is whether Biden's border crisis counted as an ‘invasion.' So now we have foreign nationals with no legal right to be in the country waving foreign flags and assaulting law enforcement. If only we had a good word for that..."
Videos and photos provided to Fox News by a federal source showed Border Patrol agents' perspective from inside their vehicle as they attempted to leave the protest area.
Footage shows their vehicle being pelted with rocks, stones, and concrete, as the windshield shatters.
Federal sources stressed the violence at the Paramount riot could have killed an agent or caused a crash.
Banks shared a photo of a Border Patrol agent's bloody hand, which was injured by a rock flying through the windshield.
"ANY attack on our agents or officers will not be tolerated," Banks wrote on X. "You will be arrested and federally prosecuted."
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While protesters reportedly targeted law enforcement vehicles, they also allegedly damaged and robbed nearby property.
FOX LA reporter Matthew Seedorff shared a video to X showing the station's SUV with its windows smashed with bricks.
"F*** ICE" was spray painted in white on the passenger side of the car.
"So this is what's left of our work car," Seedorff said in the video. "We had it parked near the scene. Obviously, we got here right at the beginning before we knew it was going to escalate to the situation that it got to. This is a brand-new news truck that we just got. Looks like the tires were slashed. They busted into the windows. Our personal bags were in the car [and] they stole all the stuff that was inside."
In an interview with Fox News' "The Big Weekend Show," Homan said authorities are "stepping up" and "mobiliz[ing]" to address violence and destruction occurring near raid locations where demonstrators are gathering.
"American people, this is about enforcing the law, and again, we're not going to apologize for doing it," Homan said.
ICE operations in LA this week resulted in the arrest of 118 illegal immigrants, including five gang members and those with prior criminal histories of drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery, and alien smuggling, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Nationwide, 2,000 illegal immigrants were arrested this week.
The Paramount protest comes less than 24 hours after more than 1,000 Los Angeles rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE agents, slashed tires, and defaced buildings.
Though Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately condemn the protests, she made a post on X late Saturday calling violence "unacceptable."
"This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County," Bass wrote. "Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning. We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward. Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable."
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem took a stronger stance toward protesters.
"A message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down," Noem wrote in a post. "@ICEgov will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the agency is seeking information regarding the identity of those throwing rocks at vehicles conducting critical law enforcement operations.
"One of the perpetrators in this video is wearing a helmet, and we’re going to use our investigative tools to locate the individual," Bongino wrote in an X post. "I strongly suggest you turn yourself in, it’s only a matter of time."
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Los Angeles County Fire Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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