The National Guard will dispatch 2000 troops to Los Angeles within 24 hours to help contain demonstrations over immigration enforcement, interim US attorney for the Central District of California Bilal A. Essayli said on Sunday morning, according to the New York Times.

US President Donald Trump ordered the entry of the National Guard on Saturday.

The protests are "out of control," Essayli said. “They threw rocks at the officers. We had Molotov cocktails thrown. We had all kinds of assaults on agents. The state has an obligation to maintain order and maintain public safety, and they’re unable to do that right now in Los Angeles. So the federal government will send in resources to regain order.”

However, California Governor Gavin Newsom called the order to dispatch troops "purposely inflammatory." Trump federalized the National Guard “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," he said.

"We're not doing politics here, we're doing public safety," Essayli responded, denying Newsom's claims.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies detain a woman during a standoff by protesters and law enforcement, following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, US, June 7, 2025. (credit: Reuters/Barbara Davidson)
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies detain a woman during a standoff by protesters and law enforcement, following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, US, June 7, 2025. (credit: Reuters/Barbara Davidson)

Marine mobilization could be next

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active duty Marines "if violence continues" in Los Angeles.

"The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert," Hegseth said on X/Twitter.

Demonstrations kicked off on Friday after an immigration raid at a clothing wholesaler near downtown LA and continued into Saturday.

One hundred people were arrested on Friday, with at least 20 more the following day. The majority of those arrested are Latino and from the working-class suburb of Paramount in LA, Essayli said.