HOT TRUMP SUMMER: PROTESTS IGNITE IN SOUTHERN CAL…

President Donald Trump has deployed California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Law enforcement was pushing a couple hundred protesters east through Little Tokyo as night began to approach on Monday.

Officers, who all appeared to be from the Los Angeles Police Department, used flash bangs and shot projectiles into the crowd as they pushed the protesters through a crowded, popular commercial area where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way. Some protesters set off fireworks and threw water bottles at the officers, yelling “Shame!” or chanting, “ICE out of LA.”

The protesters had been pushed earlier in the evening away from the downtown federal detention center.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said during an interview on Fox News Monday evening that the Justice Department will use a civil disorder charge to go after people who assault law enforcement and will also pursue federal charges against people who burglarize businesses.

“If California won’t protect their law enforcement, we will protect the LAPD and the sheriff’s office out there,” Bondi said on “Hannity.”

Bondi said authorities have identified a suspect wanted for throwing broken pieces of cinderblocks at law enforcement vehicles, injuring an officer. The FBI had been offering a $50,000 reward leading to the suspect’s identification and arrest.

President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests follows a long history of U.S. elected officials sending troops in hopes of thwarting unrest connected to race-related clashes.

Bass ended a news briefing with a plea to the federal government: “Stop the raids.”

“I hope that we will be heard because our city is trying to move forward, and I believe the federal government should be supportive.”

Bass said the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines was a “deliberate attempt” by the Trump administration to “create disorder and chaos in our city.”

“I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,” Bass said.

Sean Parnell’s post on X confirmed earlier statements on X by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the Guard number was being doubled.

The latest order brings the total number of Guard troops put on federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100.

Newsom had posted that the deployment order was reckless and not about public safety.

Parnell said the added troops will be there to support ICE and “enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties.”

The additional troops could take a day or two to arrive because the order was just given Monday evening.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a briefing that he expected “many more” arrests to be made in connection with the escalating protests as the police investigation continues.

“We fully support your right to peacefully protest, but let me absolutely clear: Tho se who choose to incite in violence, engage in vandalism or graffiti or attack officers will be arrested,” he said.

The president has posted a warning on social media to those who are demonstrating in Los Angeles against his immigration crackdown and confronting police and members of the National Guard: “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”

That’s a contrast to how the president responded to the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an assault that left about 140 police officers injured.

Trump pardoned hundreds of them in one of the first acts of his second term as president. Roughly 180 of the defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement or obstructing officers during a civil disorder.

“Trump’s behavior makes clear that he only values the rule of law and the people who enforce it when it’s to his political advantage,” said Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College.

▶ Read more about the discrepancy of Trump’s responses

That order would put the National Guard members on active duty.

One official said, however, that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on X he had been informed of the decision. He called the move reckless and “disrespectful to our troops.”

“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” Newsom said.

The LAPD says more than 600 rubber bullets and other less-than-lethal rounds were used over the weekend.

The lawsuit filed Monday afternoon by Attorney General Rob Bonta says Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth violated the law and exceeded their constitutional authorities when they federalized the National Guard without going through the governor of California.

It described the unrest in Los Angeles as “primarily peaceful protests with some acts of violence or civil disobedience” that “do not rise to the level of a rebellion.”

The lawsuit also alleges Trump violated the 10th Amendment, which is designed to protect state power from federal intrusion.

“This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in press release on the lawsuit. “Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach.”

Los Angeles police say they arrested 29 people Saturday night “for failure to disperse” and made 21 more arrests on Sunday on charges ranging from attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assault on a police officer to looting.

The police department also has confirmed in a news release that it used tear gas and more than 600 rubber bullets and other less-than-lethal munitions over the weekend. The department says five officers sustained minor injuries.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell says the department has not been given any “formal notification” that the Marines will be coming to the city.

He said in a statement Monday afternoon that the police department is confident in its ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines’ arrival without coordinating with the police department would present “a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city.”

“We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time,” he added.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted late Saturday that he was considering deploying the Marines to respond to the unrest after getting advice earlier in the day from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a U.S. official said.

Still, the tweet, which was posted to Hegseth’s personal X account and not to his official government account, took many inside the Pentagon by surprise. As late as Monday, the military’s highest offices were still considering the potential ramifications.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public.

The Pentagon is working on a memo that will lay out the steps the 700 Marines can take to protect federal personnel and property during protests over immigration raids.

Those guidelines also will include specifics on the possibility that they could temporarily detain civilians until they could be turned over to law enforcement if troops are under assault or to prevent harm, a U.S. official said.

Each Marine should receive a card explaining what they can and cannot do, another U.S. official said.

For example, warning shots would be prohibited, according to use-of-force draft documents viewed by The Associated Press. Marines are directed to de-escalate a situation whenever possible but also are authorized to act in self-defense, the documents say.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public.

Labor leader David Huerta told reporters after his release from federal detention that he did not intended to get arrested.

“This fight is ours, it’s our community’s, but it belongs to everyone,” Huerta said in Spanish outside the federal courthouse after his bond hearing. “We all have to fight for them.”

Huerta said the individuals being held inside the federal detention facility where he was detained since Friday each have their own immigration stories.

He also said that violence was not the answer and the only way to win change was through non-violence.

Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said they will honor the rights of New Yorkers to protest peacefully, but won’t tolerate demonstrations that involve property destruction, blocking entrances to buildings or assaults of law enforcement officials.

“We will not allow violence and lawlessness,” Adams, a former captain with the New York Police Department, said during remarks broadcast online.

California Sen. Adam Schiff attended the bond hearing for Huerta on Monday. He said he was pleased an agreement was reached between Huerta’s lawyer and the government for his release and called Huerta “an important leader here in California.”

Schiff said Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard has not helped.

“This whole escalation we’re seeing in Los Angeles is so utterly unnecessary and unwarranted,” he said. “All this is just intended to add fuel to the fire.”

Schiff called for an end to violence, vandalism and assaults on law enforcement. He also called on the Trump administration to focus its deportation efforts on violent offenders.

“We need to just focus on getting things calmed down here in Los Angeles so people can go about their business,” he said.

Protesters waved Mexican flags and danced to live music in the historic El Pueblo district of Los Angeles, just a few blocks away from the downtown federal detention center. The area is located near the famous Olvera Street, a colorful marketplace that celebrates Mexican culture and heritage.

Some protest leaders also led the crowd in chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets,” as a band performed.

The Marines and National Guard troops are not expected to do law enforcement duties, which are prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act.

The Marines are being deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command announced Monday.

Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act to allow them to do law enforcement. It has not been clear if he intends to do so.

The Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will work with the roughly 2,100 National Guard troops on the ground to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command says.

The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.

The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.

Northern Command said the forces will all be under Task Force 51, commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, deputy commander of U.S. Army North.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were at a Home Depot in Huntington Park on Monday morning, city spokesperson Sergio Infanzon confirmed.

They were also at a public library parking lot and City Hall in Whittier, the city stated in a press release.

“We understand how stressful and upsetting this is for many in our community,” the press release said. “We urge residents to remain calm, avoid confrontation, and prioritize personal safety.”

Jonathan Sanabria, a Huntington Park city councilmember, posted on Instagram urging community members to stay away from Home Depot stores.

Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, was arrested Friday while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles.

His arrest became a rallying cry for union members nationwide and Democratic politicians who have called for his release.

His release came as marchers were moving through downtown after a rally by the SEIU.

The Pentagon is expected to formally deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles in the coming hours to help National Guard members respond to immigration protests, three U.S. officials said Monday.

The Marines are coming from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military plans. The deployment was first reported by CNN.

Religious leaders joined with protesters outside the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, working at times to quell outbursts of anger in the otherwise peaceful demonstration.

Protestors linked hands and at times sang in front of a line of police officers, who’ve unsuccessfully asked people to move off the road and onto the sidewalk.

Amid threats to arrest Newsom if he interferes with federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, a reporter asked Trump to explain what crime the California governor may have committed.

“I think his primary crime is running for governor, because he did such a bad job,” Trump said.

Asked if the focus on Newsom would help the Democratic governor’s political career, Trump, a Republican, said, “I think it’s actually very bad for him.”

Trump repeated how much he actually “liked” Newsom but thinks he’s “incompetent.”

About 100 union members rallied outside City Hall in New York City chanting “Free David Huerta” and waving signs reading “Immigrants are Essential.”

Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, is being held in Los Angeles. He is accused of conspiring to impede an officer during a demonstration over Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Activists protesting federal immigration enforcement were arrested Monday inside Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Video widely shared on social media show a few dozen demonstrators sitting in the middle of the Fifth Avenue building’s lobby.

Police officers carrying zip ties stood between the group and the entryway while a voice over a PA system warned that they would be arrested if they didn’t disperse.

The activists continued to chant “Bring Them Back” and were subsequently arrested. They also held signs with messages such as, “Who will be disappeared next?,” and, “Due process is a right for everyone.”

A police department spokesperson declined to comment on the incident, including how many were arrested.

A larger protest is expected later Monday outside a Manhattan federal immigration court.

Union leaders from across California led the crowd in chants of “Free Huerta now!”

They urged people to exit the area peacefully at the conclusion of the rally.

David Jose Huerta, the 58-year-old president of Service Employees International Union California, was charged with conspiring to impede an officer by federal prosecutors. Protesters gathered with signs reading “Free David Huerta.”

▶ Read more about Huerta and his arrest by federal agents

The president is holding an event to talk about investment accounts for newborn childrenbut he started by talking about the protests in Los Angeles.

“Thank goodness we sent out some wonderful National Guard,” he said.

Trump criticized California leaders by saying “they were afraid of doing anything.”

“We sent out the troops, and they’ve done a fantastic job.”

The photojournalist Nick Stern was covering a protest in Paramount on Saturday night when he felt a sharp pain in his right thigh — the result, he later realized, of a non-lethal round fired by officers into the crowd.

“I thought it was a live round because of the sheer intensity of the pain,” Stern told the AP. “Then I passed out from the pain.”

The projectile left a golf ball-sized wound in his thigh, requiring emergency surgery Sunday. He remained hospitalized as of Monday.

It wasn’t clear which law enforcement agency fired the shot. Stern described the scene at the time as chaotic, but said there was no violence in his immediate vicinity.

“There were just a few people standing there doing nothing more than waving Mexican flags,” he said.

Hundreds of people gathered in Boston’s City Hall Plaza to protest the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and the detainment of union leader David Huerta.

Protesters shouted “Come for one, come for all” and “Free David, free them all.”

People held signs reading “Massachusetts stands with our neighbors in Los Angeles” and “protect our immigrant neighbors.”

“An immigrant doesn’t stand between an American worker and a good job, a billionaire does,” said Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

She called on President Trump to call off any plans to deploy the service members to quell protests.

U.S. officials told The Associated Press there are currently about 1,000 National Guard members in L.A. under federal orders and more are flowing in all day.

Officials said that they believe that the full 2,000 that the president has put on federal Title 10 orders will be on the ground there by the end of the day. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations details.

The Guard troops are part of the new Task Force 51, under the control of Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who is the deputy commander of U.S. Army North.

The California governor and the White House have been feuding over how to handle protests in Los Angeles.

It started when Tom Homan, the border czar, warned that anyone, including public officials, would be arrested if they obstructed federal immigration enforcement.

“No one’s above the law,” he said on Fox & Friends, although he added that “there was no discussion” about arresting Newsom.

The California governor responded in an interview with MSNBC.

“Come after me, arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy,” Newsom said.

Trump grinned when asked about the exchange after landing at the White House.

“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump said. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing. He’s done a terrible job.”

Robotaxi company Waymo has suspended service in downtown Los Angeles after several of its self-driving cars were set ablaze during weekend protests against the Trump administration’s immigration raids.

Waymo confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that five of its robotaxis were impacted and removed from downtown Los Angeles. The company added that it would not be operating in this area of the city for the time being — citing guidance from local law enforcement.

Waymo’s services in other parts of Los Angeles county remain available. The city’s protests are centered to several blocks of its downtown area.

Footage from Sunday’s demonstrations showed spray-painted messages protesting ICE on these Waymo vehicles, which brought large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploded intermittently as they burned. Some demonstrators were also seen smashing windows of the robotaxis.

Waymo began offering driverless rides in Los Angeles last year.

Federal prosecutors have charged California union leader David Jose Huerta with conspiring to impede an officer.

The 58-year-old president of Service Employees International Union California is currently detained and expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles Monday afternoon for a bond hearing.

In a court affidavit, a homeland security agent wrote that law enforcement officers were executing a federal search warrant Friday at a Los Angeles business suspected of hiring illegal immigrants and falsifying employment records when Huerta and others appeared to try to disrupt the operation.

A law enforcement officer approached Huerta and told him to leave, then put his hands on Huerta to move him out of the way of a vehicle, the agent wrote. The agent said Huerta pushed back and the officer pushed Huerta to the ground and arrested him.

The SEIU has planned a rally in Los Angeles for Monday.

“We demand David Huerta’s immediate release and an end to these abusive workplace raids,” April Verrett, SEIU’s international president, said in a statement.

Messages seeking comment were left for Huerta’s attorney, Marilyn Bednarski.

After inspecting a site on the White House lawn for a future flagpole, Trump spoke to reporters about the protests in California.

“I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent,” the president said, complaining about “the little railroad he’s building” that is “100 times over budget.” It’s a reference to the much-delayed high-speed rail project, which predates Newsom’s tenure. Trump also criticized the protestors. “The people that are causing these problems are professional agitators, they’re insurrectionists, they’re bad people. They should be in jail.”

In a post on his social media site, Trump said the city would have been “completely obliterated” otherwise.

Protests over the president’s immigration crackdown spared much of Los Angeles from violence. Weekend clashes swept through several downtown blocks and a handful of other places.

Trump wrote that Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass should thank him. He accused them of being untruthful for saying Guard troops weren’t necessary.

Perla Rios, an indigenous community leader in Los Angeles, urged legal representation and due process for the dozens of workers who were detained in the city by ICE on Friday.

Rios spoke at a conference Monday morning in Los Angeles outside of Ambiance Apparel, where ICE raids set off days of tense protests in the city. Behind her stood family members of workers detained, holding up signs saying “Immigrants make America Great,” “Liberate them all” and “We want justice” next to photos of their loved ones.

“What our families are experiencing is simply a nightmare ,” Rios said.

Tom Holman defended the ICE arrests that preceded the protests and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, blaming the California governor for stoking anti-ICE sentiments and waiting two days to declare an unlawful assembly in LA.

“He’s failed that state,” Holman told Fox News on Monday morning.

Newsom dared federal officials to arrest him in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, stating, “Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with, tough guy.”

On Fox, Holman said there was “no discussion” about arresting Newsom.

“Donald Trump—in the midst of a war with Elon Musk and his ugly tax bill that would rip healthcare from 17 million people— is in desperate need of a diversion,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement Monday.

“His order to deploy the National Guard in California is unnecessary, inflammatory, and provocative. Trump should immediately revoke his command to use the National Guard, and leave the law enforcement to the governor and the mayor, who are more than capable of handling the situation.”

“Americans do not need or deserve this unnecessary and provocative chaos.”

The smell of fire hung in the air of downtown Los Angeles Monday morning. A series of ash piles littered Los Angeles Street with the charred remnants of cars set afire during protests over immigration.

The quiet in the streets was in marked contrast to several days of escalating protests over President Trump’s immigration crackdown. The demonstrations intensified Sunday in the country’s second-most-populous city after Trump deployed the National Guard.

Police cars from a smattering of Southern California cities were blocking streets in the downtown.

Workers swept up debris from the streets including tear gas canisters. Crews painted over graffiti that covered downtown buildings.

More demonstrations were expected in Los Angeles Monday.