National Guard Deployed as Immigration Crackdown Intensifies \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reaffirmed plans to continue federal immigration raids despite mounting protests across the U.S. Tensions escalated in Los Angeles, where thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed to support immigration operations. Legal challenges and bipartisan concerns are mounting over the growing use of military force in domestic enforcement.
Quick Looks
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says immigration raids will continue despite national unrest.
- Thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed in Los Angeles, with more on standby in Texas.
- A federal judge is reviewing California’s emergency legal challenge to halt military-backed raids.
- U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed after interrupting Noem’s press briefing.
- Noem says LA operations are a “blueprint” for other cities nationwide.
- Over 470 arrests have been made during protests in Los Angeles.
- Demonstrations have occurred in at least a dozen major cities, some turning volatile.
- Critics say the military role in immigration enforcement violates democratic norms.
- Trump administration defends actions, calling opposition a “political stunt.”
- California and other Democratic states warn of further legal and constitutional challenges.
Deep Look
As civil unrest spreads across the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered a defiant message on Thursday: the federal government will continue executing large-scale immigration raids regardless of public backlash or legal pushback. Her announcement underscores a rapidly escalating national crisis, as protests surge in dozens of cities in response to the Trump administration’s latest crackdown.
In Los Angeles — the epicenter of the federal operation — tensions have reached a boiling point. Thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed across the city to assist with both crowd control and immigration enforcement, marking one of the most expansive uses of military resources on domestic soil in modern U.S. history. Homeland Security says these efforts are a response to increased threats to public order, but critics view them as a dangerous overreach of executive authority.
Secretary Noem told reporters that the immigration raids are part of a coordinated national strategy aimed at removing undocumented immigrants with criminal records. She said the operation in Los Angeles serves as a “blueprint” for future efforts in other major cities and confirmed that officers have “thousands of targets” already identified. Despite acknowledging that federal agents have come under attack from protestors — with reports of being pelted by rocks and bricks — Noem insisted the crackdown would continue “until we have peace on the streets.”
The press conference was marred by a tense moment when U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California, a vocal critic of the raids, interrupted Noem mid-speech to demand answers. Security forcibly removed Padilla, who was briefly handcuffed but not arrested. He later said the federal government’s aggression toward him underscored the intensity of the situation. “If this is how they treat a senator, imagine how they treat farmworkers or undocumented immigrants,” Padilla said.
The unfolding conflict has already reached the courts. California Governor Gavin Newsom filed an emergency legal motion to halt the deployment of military personnel in support of immigration raids, arguing it constitutes an unconstitutional use of federal power. At a hearing in San Francisco, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer challenged the legality of the president’s actions. Drawing a sharp comparison to monarchical rule, Breyer said, “The Constitution is a document of limitations. I’m trying to figure out where the lines are drawn.”
The Trump administration dismissed the lawsuit as a “political stunt” that endangers national security. Still, opposition is mounting. A coalition of Democratic governors issued a joint statement calling the military’s involvement in immigration enforcement “an alarming abuse of power that threatens the very fabric of American democracy.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker emphasized that his state expects the federal government to follow constitutional limits just as states are expected to comply with federal law.
Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in this national debate. Nightly protests in the city’s downtown corridor near City Hall and a federal immigration detention center have drawn thousands. Clashes between demonstrators and heavily armed police have become increasingly violent. Riot officers on horseback have charged into crowds, and law enforcement has used pepper spray, batons, and crowd-control projectiles to enforce curfews. Since Saturday, nearly 470 people have been arrested — most for curfew violations or unlawful assembly, though several were charged with assault or possession of incendiary devices.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged the growing anger but defended the curfews and arrests as necessary to maintain public safety. “We are serious,” she said at a press briefing. “This is not about silencing protest — it’s about stopping violence.”
Behind the scenes, the military role in enforcement continues to expand. According to Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, approximately 2,000 National Guard troops are already active in Los Angeles, with 2,000 more on the way. About 700 Marines have also been mobilized to provide additional logistical support. Sherman confirmed that at least 500 Guard members have been trained to accompany immigration agents on raids, with authority to temporarily detain individuals who obstruct or assault federal officers.
While military personnel are not authorized to make immigration arrests directly, their growing involvement has alarmed legal scholars and civil rights advocates. Many argue that the blurring of lines between civilian law enforcement and the military violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of the U.S. armed forces in domestic policing.
Secretary Noem rejected those criticisms, insisting that federal agents are operating within legal bounds. “Just because you think you’re a citizen, or part of a particular group, doesn’t mean you’re immune from law enforcement,” she said, adding that violent protesters and undocumented immigrants with criminal histories “will face consequences.”
Yet for many Americans, the heavy-handed tactics evoke disturbing historical parallels — from the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to the civil rights crackdowns of the 1960s. Protestors across more than a dozen cities — including Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, and Chicago — have voiced outrage not only at immigration raids but also at the militarization of city streets.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott placed 5,000 National Guard troops on standby, prepared to deploy if protests erupt in major cities over the weekend. While other Republican-led states have not yet committed to specific troop movements, the White House has said it is prepared to authorize additional military deployments nationwide.
With over a dozen major cities bracing for a volatile weekend and legal challenges now in motion, the situation continues to escalate. The coming days will be a critical test of both the Trump administration’s strategy and the nation’s constitutional framework. At stake are not just immigration policies, but fundamental questions about the limits of federal power, the role of the military in civil society, and the future of democratic protest in America.
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