⌨Trump escalated the Los Angeles immigration protests by federally deploying 2,000 National Guard troops, overriding Governor Newsom's objections in an unprecedented move. The deployment came after two days of clashes between ICE agents and protesters at workplace raids, including confrontations at Home Depot locations in Paramount where authorities used tear gas and flash-bang grenades.
Throughout the morning, officials disputed troop numbers - Trump claimed 2,000 while California reported only 300 arriving. By afternoon, Guard units positioned at federal buildings rather than patrolling streets. Evening brought renewed confrontations as protesters blocked freeway traffic and LAPD declared an unlawful assembly downtown, with more tear gas deployed.
The crisis created political theater, with masked protesters waving Mexican flags becoming what observers called "perfect propaganda for Trump." ABC suspended correspondent Terry Moran after his late-night social media attack on Stephen Miller. Trump banned face coverings at future protests and refused to rule out deploying Marines, declaring "They spit, we hit."