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What we know
- Demonstrations erupted in the Los Angeles area Saturday as the region’s top federal prosecutor said federal law enforcement operations were “proceeding as planned” across the county.
- The largest protest started across the street from a Home Depot in the city of Paramount as L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said federal agents were in the process of staging in the offices adjacent to the business.
- Law enforcement used less-than-lethal munitions, as well as what appeared to be tear gas, in an effort to disperse crowds. Multiple people were detained throughout the day, and one person was charged.
- President Donald Trump moved to deploy the National Guard in to L.A. over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass who argued it was unnecessary and could escalate tensions.
- Bass confirmed after midnight that National Guard troops had not been deployed in Los Angeles, shortly after Trump thanked troops for “a job well done” in a pre-dawn post on social media.
One arrested and several others detained, says L.A. County Sheriff's Department
One person has been arrested and several others detained following Saturday night's protests across Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the L.A. Sheriff's Department told NBC News on the phone.
The spokesperson said the arrest was linked to the protests, without indicating what the charges were.
They added that two deputies were injured and transported to a local area hospital for non-life threatening injuries. They have been released.
At the time of the phone call (5.20 a.m. ET), the spokesperson said crowds had diminished but the protest was still considered active.
L.A. doesn’t need National Guard, says mayor
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard is “completely unnecessary,” after Trump said late Saturday that 2,000 members of the guard would be deployed.
“Our city has experienced massive civil unrest before,” she said in an interview with a Fox local affiliate, referring to riots that took place in L.A. in 1992, when more than 50 people were killed and thousands arrested.
“If you want to see it happen again, then you have an extreme presence of troops or law enforcement officers, and that is going to agitate the population. That is not going to solve the problem.”
Bass said she had spoken to the Trump administration and that L.A. was “well equipped to handle” any violence associated with protests.
“2000 officers, 2000 in our city will not be a positive thing and will not be helpful,” she added.
National Guard troops will arrive in L.A. in next 24 hours, federal official says
National Guard troops will arrive in L.A. County within the next 24 hours, the Trump administration's top law enforcement official in southern California said in an interview with the New York Times early on Sunday.
Bilal "Bill" A. Essayli, the interim attorney for the Central District of California said the 2,000 troops were needed to quell protests over immigration enforcement that are "out of control."
National Guard not deployed in L.A., says mayor
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said after midnight on Sunday that the National Guard "has not been deployed in the city of Los Angeles," in a post shortly after Trump thanked the National Guard for a "job well done."
Protests dying down, no sign of National Guard
President Trump thanked the National Guard for a "job well done" on social media, but there's still no sign of troops in Los Angeles as protests died down for the night after a day of chaos.
Police held a skirmish line and maintained patrols past midnight, and small groups of protesters were still walking the streets and waving flags.
Organizers have already called for a third day of protests in the city for Sunday.
LAPD detains multiple people who reentered unlawful assembly area
LAPD says it has detained multiple people in downtown LA on Alameda between Aliso and Temple, after they breached a dispersal order and reentered an area of unlawful assembly.
"Those detained people will be arrested and booked for failing to disperse," it said on social media.
Demonstrators shatter police cruiser's window in downtown L.A.
A demonstrator was seen hurling an object at a police cruiser, shattering its rear window, after surrounding the vehicle at an intersection in downtown Los Angeles tonight.
Aerial video from NBC Los Angeles showed several police officers park their cruisers at the intersection of 1st and Alameda streets shortly before 11 p.m. Officers had stepped out of the their vehicles and there was a standoff with demonstrators that was, for a period of time, uneventful.
As officers began reentering their cruisers and driving away from the area, however, protesters surrounded one vehicle, and someone hurled what appeared to be a large piece of concrete at it. Some people then appeared to kick the vehicle before it sped away.
More than a dozen arrested during clashes with federal agents
The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, which includes L.A., said more than a dozen people were arrested today following clashes between protesters and federal agents.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X that the suspects were arrested for allegedly impeding federal agents, though details, including exact possible charges, were unavailable.
"We will continue to arrest anyone who interferes with federal law enforcement," he said.
Authorities face off against nighttime crowd at L.A. federal building
Authorities formed a skirmish line tonight to displace a crowd that had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, the federal lockup in downtown L.A.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division, which covers downtown, said in a statement on X at 9:05 p.m. that it has declared an unlawful assembly, meaning anyone remaining can be arrested. The department gave stragglers five minutes to get out.
Aerial coverage from NBC Los Angeles showed law enforcement in riot gear pushing members of the crowd away from the detention center while also using what appeared to be pepper-ball-type irritants and possibly tear gas, the station reported.
The LAPD said in an earlier statement that demonstrations across the city on Saturday “remained peaceful.” The statement was issued before the action outside the detention center heated up.
NBC Los Angeles said the law enforcement group on the ground forming that skirmish line appeared to be composed entirely of federal officers.
California governor, L.A. mayor could face arrest if they ‘cross the line,’ Trump border czar says
Tom Homan, Trump’s appointed border czar, defended the president’s decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles despite opposition to the move from local leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom — and warned that the governor and L.A.'s mayor could be arrested.
“President Trump is deploying the National Guard because they’re going to support our law enforcement efforts here that will help protect public safety,” Homan told NBC News tonight.
Newsom accused Trump’s administration of using the deployment to create a “spectacle.” Earlier, he called the immigration arrests that triggered protests a “chaotic” attempt to sow chaos and escalate tensions.
Homan dismissed Newsom’s assertion and chided the governor for his criticism of the administration’s effort to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
“Help us take these criminals off the street. Stop applauding the protesters and support law enforcement,” Homan said. “Gov. Newsom should be on the phone thanking President Trump for making a state safer.”
The Trump administration appointee has previously stated that efforts to impede ICE operations could result in arrest. He said that neither Newsom nor Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats whom he accused of creating "a sanctuary for criminals," were exempt from that prospect.
“I’ll say about anybody,” Homan said. “It’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job.”
Homan said “around 150” undocumented immigrants had been detained in the last two days as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carried out large-scale sweep across the city.
