The Los Angeles riots followed a series of immigration enforcement raids that triggered widespread protests, violent unrest, and an unprecedented federal intervention. Now, there is a power struggle between California Governor Newsom and President Trump. Some fear civil war.
The city has been rocked by days of demonstrations after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted large-scale sweeps across predominantly Latino neighbourhoods, including Westlake, Paramount, and Compton, detaining dozens of undocumented immigrants.
The raids have reignited long-standing grievances over immigration policy, state-federal authority, and community policing.
Sleeper Cells activated in LA… pic.twitter.com/F2RFtkRH2z
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) June 8, 2025
What began as peaceful protests quickly spiralled into violence. Protesters, many of whom decried the raids as racially targeted and inhumane, blocked major highways, hurled Molotov cocktails, smashed storefronts, and set fire to electric vehicles—most notably several Waymo driverless taxis.
Over 60 arrests have been made, and the Los Angeles Police Department, stretched thin, has deployed rubber bullets and tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds.
Mario Nawfal comments on X:
”California’s mismanagement has reached a level that feels borderline criminal. Wildfires ravaged the state, and firefighters, stretched thin, ran out of water to combat the flames. The mayor, fully aware of the fire risks, chose to jet off on vacation just as the crisis erupted, leaving communities vulnerable.
Then, as if the devastation wasn’t enough, months later, riots erupted, setting streets ablaze as ICE agents became targets for removing illegal immigrants. Instead of prioritizing public safety, leadership has been obsessed with pushing radical leftist woke ideology, neglecting the basic duty to protect citizens. This isn’t just incompetence – it’s a betrayal of trust, leaving Californians to suffer the consequences of their leaders’ reckless priorities.”
Financers
Behind the protests are several advocacy organisations, some of which have come under sharp scrutiny. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a prominent nonprofit with ties to California’s Democratic establishment, has been accused of helping organise protests.
Although CHIRLA denies involvement in any violent acts, records show the group received nearly $34 million in state funding in 2023 and had previously secured federal grants from the Department of Homeland Security.
Wigilant Fox writes on X, quoting LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell:
”LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell just exposed what many already suspected—the chaos unfolding in Los Angeles is being escalated by professional leftist agitators…”
Another group cited by federal investigators is the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which has received indirect funding from billionaire Neville Singham.
National Guard
The White House responded swiftly and forcefully. On June 7, President Donald J. Trump invoked Title 10 of the U.S. Code to federalise approximately 2,000 California National Guard troops, bypassing the authority of Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a statement issued from the Oval Office, Trump said, “If the radical left in California refuses to restore order, the federal government will step in and solve the problem, riots and looters, the way it should be solved.”
President Trump’s move marked the first time in nearly six decades that a sitting president has deployed a state’s National Guard over the objections of its governor.
Just a reminder that the left is calling this peaceful:
pic.twitter.com/M0HAVnIvtC— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 9, 2025
Trump, who faces reelection in November, has framed the unrest as a test of American sovereignty and law and order, suggesting further deployments—including active-duty Marines—could follow if the violence persists.
Governor Gavin Newsom has strongly condemned Trump’s actions, calling them “purposefully inflammatory and unlawful.” Newsom argued that California has the resources and resolve to handle the situation internally, and he has threatened to sue the federal government for overstepping its constitutional bounds.
“This is not martial law. This is not the 1960s. The president does not get to override state sovereignty because he doesn’t like our politics,” Newsom said in a press conference Sunday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also voiced opposition to the federal deployment, urging calm and calling for peaceful protest. She emphasised that while the community is justifiably outraged, escalating violence and the presence of troops on city streets would only deepen the crisis.
Legal scholars and civil liberties organisations have warned that the conflict between the state and federal governments could have lasting implications. Many see this as a pivotal moment in the ongoing national debate over the limits of presidential authority, states’ rights, and the militarisation of domestic law enforcement.
Whether this conflict will be resolved through negotiation, litigation, or further confrontation remains uncertain. For many residents of Los Angeles, however, the only certainty is that their streets have become the front lines of America’s battle over immigration, identity, and power.