National Guard, LAPD clash with protesters in Los Angeles amid ICE raid protests

President Trump’s decision to send California National Guard troops to Los Angeles County was widely condemned by California politicians, who called on protesters to remain peaceful.

Attorney General Rob Bonta called the move “unnecessary and counterproductive.”

“To follow it with a threat to order additional active duty Marines to the city is an inflammatory escalation,” Bonta said.

“To all those who are outraged with the conduct of the Federal Administration and moved to exercise your right to peaceful protest, I urge you to do so peacefully and safely.”

Congressmember Dave Min, who represents cities in Orange County, urged residents to stop throwing rocks at federal agents.

“Clearly, Trump is trying to escalate this situation into violence, but responding in kind with lawlessness and chaos is unacceptable.

“I urge those who are protesting to remain peaceful, to obey the law, and to do all they can to de-escalate this situation, even in the face of Trump’s flagrant and outrageous attacks on our rule of law and Constitution.”

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said that L.A. “will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.”

“Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation. The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it’s felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk. This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protestors to remain peaceful.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that the troops are being sent to L.A. County “to manufacture a crisis.”

“He’s hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control,” Newsom wrote. “Stay calm. Never use violence. Stay peaceful.”

Assemblymember Mark González, who district includes Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello, and Vernon, called on federal lawmakers to “uphold due process and keep Donald Trump accountable.”

“The latest attempt to seize control of California’s National Guard and provoke unrest is not about public safety — it’s about destroying communities. California will not be complicit in the deportation of our undocumented community.”

Former L.A. City Councilmember and Senate President Emeritus Kevin de León told protesters not to “play into “Trump’s hands.” De León authored the state’s 2017 sanctuary law, which vastly limits who state and local law enforcement agencies can hold, question and transfer at the request of federal immigration authorities.

“Donald Trump loathes our city. He loathes our values. And he will exploit every opportunity to dismantle our progress. Donald Trump and his right-hand man, Stephen Miller, are not responding to a crisis — they’re orchestrating one.”

“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about chaos, control, and cruelty. Trump is a master manipulator who manufactures disorder to justify authoritarian overreach. And make no mistake — his next move is clear: escalate the violence, then invoke martial law.”