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By Martha McHardy and Shane Croucher
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President Donald Trump has warned that he would send troops into other cities in the U.S. should rioting and disorder similar to that seen in Los Angeles break out, and with "greater force."
Why It Matters
It comes after Trump sent 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to reported violence against law enforcement, specifically ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city.
Read More on Politics
While the raids are following a legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.
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What To Know
Trump said his deployment of National Guard troops in California, followed by hundreds of Marines, is "the first, perhaps, of many," as immigration raids take place all over the country under his plan for mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
"You know, we didn't attack this one very strongly. You'll have them all over the country," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "I can inform the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, they're going to be met with equal or greater force than we met right here."
The president said the unrest in Los Angeles is quietening down because rioters were "met with a very heavy force."
"If they weren't, you would have that city on fire. It would be burning down," he said.
Anti-ICE protests have erupted nationwide in cities including New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington D.C.—and more are coming. Coordinated demonstrations against Trump's immigration policies are scheduled across all 50 states on June 14, his birthday.
The president has warned that what happened in Los Angeles won't be repeated elsewhere without consequences.
"If there's any protester who wants to come out there, they will be met with very big force," he said Tuesday.
The president's decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles without the consent of California Governor Gavin Newsom has triggered intense backlash and legal action. In an evening address, Newsom warned that Trump had "inflamed a combustible situation" and placed democracy itself in jeopardy.
"Democracy is under assault right before our eyes—the moment we've feared has arrived," Newsom said on the fifth day of protests. "Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles. Well beyond his stated intent to go after violent and serious criminals, his agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers, and seamstresses."
The governor warned other states that they could be next: "California may be first—but it clearly won't end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next."
Legal pushback has already begun. California is suing the Trump administration, accusing the president of invoking emergency powers to overstep his constitutional authority. The lawsuit argues that Trump's federalization of part of California's National Guard—using Title 10 authority to override the governor's control—violates state sovereignty and stretches the limits of the Insurrection Act, an 18th-century law typically reserved for extreme domestic crises.
The last time a president bypassed a governor to deploy the National Guard was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights marchers.
Washington Prepares
In Washington state, officials said they've been bracing for this scenario. Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown revealed that they began contingency planning shortly after their elections, the Washington State Standard reported. Ferguson called Trump's use of military force "deeply disturbing" and accused him of inflaming tensions to score political points.
"He's escalating the situation. It's resulting in more violence—and that's exactly what Donald Trump wants," Ferguson said. "My job as governor is to make sure we're as prepared as we possibly can be."
To prevent similar incursions, Ferguson signed a law this spring allowing Washington to block National Guard troops from other states from entering without permission. Brown emphasized that the president's move in California would be illegal under Washington's circumstances, warning, "If the facts arose here that were the same as California, it would be illegal."
What People Are Saying
Kieran Doyle, North America research manager with ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), told Newsweek: "The most explosive escalation of tensions between demonstrators and police since the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 is currently unfolding in Los Angeles over Trump's 'mass deportation agenda.'
"This moment of confrontation had been building at least since Trump began his second term. By 5 June — the day before anti-ICE demonstrations broke out in LA — ACLED had already recorded more demonstrations supporting immigration in 2025 than over the previous five years combined. Though this movement had already been on the rise, anti-ICE demonstrations in solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles have already begun to spread to cities across the United States.
"This weekend, more than 1,500 demonstrations against the Trump administration under the banner of 'No Kings' have been planned to coincide with Trump's parade to commemorate the US Army's 250th birthday. With such a large number of planned demonstrations, and as Los Angeles solidarity demonstrations continue to expand, this situation could easily escalate even further."
Professor Clionadh Raleigh, president of ACLED, told Newsweek: "The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows sitting presidents extreme executive powers to quell domestic unrest using U.S. domestic troops, although later acts aimed to prohibit the use of domestic military force. Without using the act, the U.S. troops are legally limited to protecting the federal areas, property and agents. That is what is currently at play in L.A.
"The issue at play here is that it is all legal—there are attests in particular protests and riots, that have become intermittently violent. Arresting those that engage in violence or mob activity is also legal. In addition, the 1st amendment right to organize is for us citizens, rather than for immigrants (legal and illegal). What is notable here is that many in the country are supportive of migrants, even those undocumented immigrants, who work and are not involved in violence.
"A legitimate criticism of ICE is that they have targeted non-violent undocumented workers, who are low-hanging fruit to ICE, rather than the more violent gang members that motivated support for Trump amongst some voters last year. In arresting protestors, ICE aims to tar protesters, legal migrants or no, as organizing violence.
"Trump is hoping of course that the protests are terrified by the show of force, thereby limiting contagion. Indeed it is terrifying to see ICE, police, marines and the national guard across cities. And it is having the intended effects—protests were far calmer today (although expected to rise this weekend) and despite some diffusion, the effect was far more muted than 5 years ago. The American public is not strongly affected by this issue, and claiming an assault on democracy, as the Governor Newsom did, will likely not incite more support."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: "Donald Trump deployed more than 700 active U.S. Marines—men and women trained in foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement. We honor their service and bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own Armed Forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere."
What Happens Next
There are currently no plans to deploy the National Guard or Marines to other cities.
Demonstrations against ICE actions are expected to continue in Los Angeles and other major cities in the coming days.
Update 6/12/25, 11:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Kieran Doyle and Clionadh Raleigh.
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