Trump Deploys National Guard to L.A.

June 9th, 2025

Brogan Jones

Over the past couple of years, there has been a prominent struggle between protestors, institutions, and the government. The right to protest seemed to become the subject of intense scrutiny, as many argued their ability to do so was severely curtailed due to controversy over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Some university students began to face institutional, personal, or even legal consequences for protesting the dire situation in Gaza. Things worsened for protestors when the incoming Trump administration started cracking down on pro-Palestinian students. The administration even went so far as to detain and revoke the visas of foreign students who engaged in protests. However, free speech advocates warned that these crackdowns would not end at universities. Sure enough, it seems that the Trump administration’s aggressive attitude has now led to a very public show of force, highlighting the connection between protests, immigration, and an emboldened government.

Protests broke out on Saturday as people in the Los Angeles region reacted to dozens of arrests in citywide Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Protestors began to gather around federal buildings, including a detention center. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, some protestors hurled large chunks of broken concrete at officers, slashed tires, and defaced buildings. In response to these alleged violent protests, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to Los Angeles. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s Press Secretary, justified the necessity of this deployment, stating that "Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens."

While some are defending Trump’s actions, others are claiming it to be an example of the executive overreach and stifling of dissent that has been a trademark of Trump’s second term. Specifically, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont had a lot to say about the deployment. Sanders claimed that the decision to deploy the National Guard was another step down the road to authoritarianism, and that neither California's governor nor the mayor of Los Angeles requested the deployment. Sure enough, Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass corroborated this, with Newsom claiming that Newsom claiming that the "move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions" and Bass claiming in a phone interview that "it was just not necessary."

Whether or not Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles was unnecessary, a strategic move to raise tensions, or a genuine attempt to quell violent protests is up to personal interpretation, but it certainly has raised questions about the intersectionality of social unrest, the right to protest, and governmental response. Public accountability and deliberation among people who disagree will remain vital to answer these important questions, determine when a government response is necessary, and hold the government accountable when they overstep.

Extemp Analysis by Brogan Jones

Extemp Question: What does Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to quell ICE raids signal for the rest of his Presidency?

AGD: Since this is a topic about immigration, the right to protest, and government crackdown, I would go the serious route. Maybe tell the story of a student who was detained and taken far away from their home just because they were protesting, and then transition into how this isn’t just happening at universities.

B: Here, it’d be helpful to talk about 1) the protests that have been going on around the country and how they have been dealt with and 2) why the protests in L.A. started, bringing up the ICE raids that have been happening around the country.

SOS: I personally would say that the decision to deploy the National Guard to L.A. signals that Trump is willing to go to great lengths to stifle dissent, and that this will be prominent throughout his second term.

If I got this question, I would say that the protests show that Trump is willing to go to great lengths to stifle dissent because 1) The issue they were protesting was immigration, a cornerstone of Trump’s policy agenda, 2) Local officials stated that the deployment was unnecessary, and 3) The deployment is just one instance of a broader trend of stifling dissent.

For the first point, I would talk about the importance of immigration to Trump’s second term policy agenda, pointing out the massive immigration campaign he has mounted all over the country, and how passionate Trump has been about immigration ever since he was first elected in 2016. For the second point, I would go over all of the direct quotes I wrote about in the article from both Governor Newsom of California and Mayor Bass of L.A., who both stated that the decision was completely unnecessary. I would talk about how L.A. already had a sufficient police force to deal with any violent protests, as both aforementioned officials stated. Finally, for the third, I would go back to what Bernie Sanders said, how this is all a larger trend of creeping authoritarianism in the United States, and how it’s not an isolated incident. At that point, I would begin listing off questionable decisions that the Trump administration has made to stifle dissent.