By Melanie Sun
Contributing Writer
The 2,000 additional California Army National Guard soldiers requested by President Donald Trump have now been activated in Los Angeles in response to the riots, U.S. Northern Command said on Tuesday.
The troops will “support the protection of federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area,” the military command said in a statement.
Demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles started on June 6 and quickly became violent as they dragged on for more than a week, although city authorities have said that unlawful activity has now declined.
Troops from the 49th Military Police Brigade will now join the 2,100 National Guard from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment already deployed in the area to protect federal assets and support local law enforcement in maintaining law and order.
They form Task Force 51, commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman.
“The soldiers are completing training on de-escalation, crowd control, and use of the standing rules for the use of force in advance of joining the federal protection mission,” Northcom wrote in a statement.
The deployment comes hours after the Trump administration said it was instructing ICE officers to resume making arrests at worksites such as farms, hotels and restaurants, a week after reports suggested those actions had been paused.
“There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts. Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability,” the Department of Homeland Security stated on social media platform X. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”
Trump, in a Truth Social post, urged ICE agents to do everything they can to carry out what he called the “largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history,” with a particular focus on sanctuary cities that actively block or resist federal efforts to enforce immigration laws, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
Protests against ICE — and in some cases, riots — have spread to other cities, including Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio in Texas, and Seattle in Washington. The Pentagon said it has mobilized 700 troops to assist with immigration law enforcement operations in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
4,800 Troops in LA
The new deployment brings the total number of military soldiers deployed in Los Angeles to respond to the unrest to 4,800. They have been deployed in rotation to relieve each other amid the bouts of violence.
The first group of 2,100 National Guard soldiers was deployed in downtown Los Angeles on June 8 to defend federal buildings and employees targeted in the protests and riots.
On June 7, rioters attempted to force their way into the Roybal Federal Building as ICE agents carried out multiple immigration enforcement operations throughout Los Angeles County.
The Trump administration said it would address the lawlessness with federal action. The administration announced the mobilization of at least 2,000 National Guard troops, much to the displeasure of state Gov. Gavin Newsom, who accused the White House of actions that were “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
In response, Trump said that if Newson and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could not do their jobs to keep law and order, “then the federal government will step in and solve the problem, rioters and looters, the way it should be solved!”
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said on Monday that the riots in downtown Los Angeles have already cost the city nearly $20 million in damages.
Bass on Tuesday said she was lifting the curfew for the city’s downtown area following a decline in protests, violence and vandalism that had disrupted the neighborhood. The curfews began on June 10.
“As we continue to adapt quickly to the chaos coming out of Washington, I’m prepared to reinstate it if necessary,” she said on X. “The safety and stability of L.A. remains my top priority.”
The L.A. Police Department has so far made more than 570 arrests related to the anti-ICE protests, including 14 for looting.
Bill Pan and Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.
