LA immigration protests live updates: Cars in flames as National Guard is deployed

Jun 9, 2025 | Politics, U.S.

Police declared an unlawful assembly in the area.

The Trump administration has deployed the California National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles that began Friday evening over immigration enforcement operations, which resulted in some clashes between demonstrators and authorities, the White House said in a statement.

The protest continued through the weekend to Sunday evening, where demonstrators halted traffic on the 101 freeway as Los Angeles police deemed it an unlawful assembly.

This comes after President Donald Trump signed a memorandum “deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness” in California as demonstrations opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations continue in the state, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the Trump administration to rescind the deployment, saying the federal government was moving to “take over the California National Guard,” calling the move “purposefully inflammatory” and saying it will “only escalate tensions.”

Key Headlines

Here’s how the news is developing.

10 minutes ago

Trump claims Los Angeles protesters are ‘paid insurrectionists’

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social from Camp David on Sunday, commenting on the ongoing Los Angeles protests where several individuals have been detained and cars have been set on fire as demonstrations escalate.

The president called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to “apologize to the people of Los Angeles.”

President Donald Trump arrives at Hagerstown Regional Airport, en route to Camp David, in Hagerstown, Maryland, June 8, 2025.Nathan Howard/Reuters

In the social media post, Trump calls the protestors “troublemakers and insurrectionists.”

The president is also claiming that the protesters in Los Angeles are being paid.

“Paid Insurrectionists!” Trump wrote in a separate social media post.

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

23 minutes ago

Newsom joins Los Angeles police and sheriffs amid ongoing protests

California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined officials from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to address the ongoing protests in the city.

The governor said the protests have been “provoked by chaos from Washington.”

“We’re here to keep the peace — not play into Trump’s political games,” Newsom wrote alongside a photo of the meeting.

1 hour and 34 minutes ago

Mayor Karen Bass: ‘Our city does not need to be torn apart’

Amid the chaotic scenes of burning vehicles and protesters flooding the 101 freeway, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was visibly frustrated and disappointed with the situation unfolding in Los Angeles, saying, “Our city does not need to be torn apart.”

Bass revealed during a press conference Sunday that she has been talking to the federal administration for days, trying to discourage the deployment of the National Guard in L.A., saying it would create chaos.

California Highway Patrol officers clear protestors who were blocking the 101 freeway on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles.Mario Tama/Getty Images

“Deploying federalized troops is a dangerous escalation, but we need to be real about this. This is about another agenda. It’s not about public safety. There’s clearly no plan, and there is clearly no policy,” said Bass.

The mayor also condemned the violence that has stemmed from the protests.

“If you are going to entertain violence, if you are going to try to take over a freeway, then you are going to suffer the consequences of doing that,” said Bass.

-ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog and Amanda Morris

1 hour and 59 minutes ago

Waymo vehicle set on fire in downtown Los Angeles

A Waymo vehicle, which is an autonomous driving car, was seen covered in graffiti and engulfed in flames in downtown Los Angeles as protests continue.

A burning Waymo taxi is seen near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025.Eric Thayer/AP

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