LIVE Updates: Donald Trump Protests Sweep U.S. Cities—Road Closures, Arrests, and What’s Next

LOS ANGELES — Tension hung thick over Southern California overnight after President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles County, aiming to quell mounting protests against an aggressive series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that swept through the region earlier this week. Crowds first gathered Friday outside a Home Depot parking lot in Paramount, where video showed ICE vans detaining at least 14 people. By dawn Saturday, demonstrations had spread along the 710 Freeway corridor and into downtown, snarling traffic and prompting sporadic confrontations that left storefront windows shattered and several protesters in custody, according to LAPD radio traffic reviewed by local media. Speaking from the White House Rose Garden, Trump framed the protests as “an insurrection against lawful federal authority” and said the Guard would restore “peace and order” within 24 hours. California Gov. Gavin Newsom swiftly condemned the move as “inflammatory” and warned that a military presence could “pour gasoline on an already volatile situation”. WHY THE PROTESTS ERUPTED • Ice Raids: Homeland Security officials confirmed a multiday operation targeting undocumented immigrants with prior deportation orders. Civil-rights groups say agents also swept up legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens, a claim ICE denies. • Viral Footage: Smartphone video of officers using pepper balls in Huntington Park ricocheted across TikTok, galvanizing activists under the hashtag #NoRaidsLA. • Historic Context: Los Angeles has long been a flashpoint for immigration enforcement clashes. Advocates compare the current moment to the 2006 “Day Without an Immigrant” marches. ON THE GROUND At Pershing Square, 27-year-old organizer Marisol Cruz described a “festival-like” atmosphere that shifted after sunset: “Once the Guard trucks rolled down Broadway, people started throwing water bottles; then the tear gas came.” Hospitals in Boyle Heights reported treating at least 38 people for minor injuries. LEGAL AND POLITICAL STAKES Constitutional scholars note that the Insurrection Act grants presidents broad authority to deploy troops domestically, but its use remains rare; the last full activation in California occurred during the 1992 Rodney King unrest. Civil-liberties attorneys from the ACLU filed an emergency injunction Saturday night alleging the federal order violates the Posse Comitatus Act by involving soldiers in routine policing. IMPACT ON 2026 ELECTION LANDSCAPE Republicans praised Trump’s decisive posture, betting it will energize his law-and-order base in battleground suburbs. Democrats counter that televised images of troops confronting families could undercut GOP gains among Latino and Asian-American voters in the Southwest. Early polling from UCLA’s Luskin School shows 61 percent of Californians oppose National Guard deployment for immigration enforcement. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT • Curfew: The city has imposed an 8 p.m.–6 a.m. curfew through Monday; violators face misdemeanor charges. • Court Hearing: A federal judge schedules a Sunday afternoon hearing on the ACLU injunction. • Possible Escalation: DHS signaled additional raids “nationwide” this month, suggesting the protest movement could spread to other major metros. HOW TO STAY SAFE AND INFORMED — Follow @Cal_OES and @LAFD for real-time evacuation and road-closure notices. — Keep goggles and saline solution on hand in case of tear-gas exposure. — Use end-to-end encrypted apps if documenting arrests, legal observers advise. BOTTOM LINE With National Guard convoys rolling into South Gate and Long Beach, Los Angeles wakes to a dramatically altered security landscape — one that may set precedent for how the Trump administration confronts public dissent during an election cycle where immigration remains a defining flashpoint.