Trump vs California governor: What triggered protests against immigration authorities?

In response, Trump referred to him as “Newscum” and “incompetent”, saying on a social media post that the “Radical left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED”. Here is what to know.

What led to the violence in California?

According to the AP, confrontations with law enforcement authorities broke out on Friday and Saturday in the city of Paramount near Los Angeles, which has a significant Latino population. They were in response to federal immigration authorities carrying out checks in the border state, arresting more than 100 people over one week in Paramount alone.

This resulted in mobilisation among the community members. Several videos show officials in riot gear. “Agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls, and protesters hurled rocks and cement at Border Patrol vehicles. Smoke wafted from small piles of burning refuse in the streets,” the AP report said.

At least one vehicle was set on fire amid the violence.

Who conducted the checks, and why now?

On Saturday, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, also known as ICE, posted about destruction to “taxpayer-owned property and walkways” due to the protests.

“Our officers and agents continued to enforce immigration law in LA, despite the violent protesters. ICE operations in LA this week resulted 118 alien arrests, including five gang members and numerous criminal aliens,” it said. Those who were arrested had criminal histories, including crimes of assault, drug trafficking and child cruelty, it added.

ICE is a wing of the US Department of Homeland Security. Created in 2003, it has been carrying out crackdowns and deportations for a long time, but they have intensified under Trump. Even during his first presidential term (2017-21), there was a pushback against the deployment of ICE to detain migrants at the US-Mexico border.

Similar policies have again been instituted. The New York Times recently cited government data, which showed the number of daily deportees averaged about 850 per day in the first two weeks of May, following a gradual climb since early March. However, the Trump administration reportedly wants to amp up the programme to 3,000 apprehensions daily. It’s part of his larger political platform of significantly restricting immigration.

And what is the US National Guard?

The National Guard is part of the US Armed Forces Reserve, which has been deployed internally and even in overseas missions, including Iraq. DW reported that more than 25,000 troops were stationed in Washington, DC, to ensure security around the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021.

Trump’s order said he called the National Guard in “to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur…”

According to the AP, it is a “hybrid entity that serves both state and federal interests. Often, it operates under state command and control, using state funding.”

Trump’s proclamation has placed the troops under federal command under a specific law. It mentions three circumstances under which federal control can materialise — when the US is invaded or is in danger of invasion; when there is a rebellion or danger of rebellion against the authority of the US government; or when the president is unable to “execute the laws of the United States” with regular forces.

However, it is still the state governors who sign the orders for deployment, something which Newsom hasn’t done. This is behind the confrontation between Trump and Newsom, who has accused Trump of overreach.