ICE protests: Judge blocks Trump from deploying National Guard in L.A.
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A curfew was in effect in downtown Los Angeles for a third night as rallies and demonstrations continued across the country.
- NATIONAL MOVEMENT: Thousands of people have rallied at demonstrations nationwide to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Dozens have been arrested or detained in several cities, including Seattle, New York and Chicago.
- HOW WE GOT HERE: Protests erupted after ICE officers carried out raids last Friday in three locations across Los Angeles, where dozens of people were taken into custody. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the raids “chaotic federal sweeps” that aimed to fill an “arbitrary arrest quota.”
- TROOPS IN L.A. AND TEXAS: President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the deployment of about 700 Marines and more than 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said today he has deployed more than 5,000 National Guard troops to quell protests in the state.
- FEDS VS. CALIFORNIA: A judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, writing that the federal government did not have the authority to nationalize California’s National Guard.
- SENATOR DETAINED: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles today after he tried to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Pro-Russia accounts spreading baseless claims about L.A. protests
Protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles have triggered a flood of falsehoods and conspiracy theories online, and Russia has sought to exploit and amplify them, experts say.
Russian media and pro-Russian voices have embraced right-wing conspiracy theories about the protests, including one that alleged the Mexican government was encouraging the demonstrations against Trump’s immigration policies. Mexico has strongly rejected the accusation — which Trump’s chief of homeland security repeated — as utterly false.
The episode illustrates how foreign adversaries are taking advantage of genuine divisions among Americans, a tried-and-true strategy in information warfare, analysts say. Right-wing American voices online are pushing the idea that the protests in Los Angeles are not what they appear and that a secret, leftist cabal tied to Democratic politicians and the billionaire philanthropist George Soros is orchestrating unrest, experts said.
“We are following a playbook that we’ve followed many times before. We’re seeing a lot of the same tropes, even a lot of the same exact conspiracy theories that we’ve seen circulate around previous protests,” said Darren Linvill, a professor at Clemson University who studies social media disinformation. There were echoes of how falsehoods spread during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, he said.
Newsom slams Trump after judge's order: 'He is not a monarch, he is not a king'
Newsom pulled no punches shortly after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order halting Trump's deployment of the California National Guard.
"He is not a monarch, he is not a king, and he should stop acting like one," Newsom told reporters after he compared Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin and strongmen.
"You see with dictators around the world that are weak and just want to demonstrate strength, weakness masquerading as strength, to fete the dear leader on his birthday," he added, referring to Trump's parade Saturday. "What an embarrassment. Honestly, it’s that’s about as small as it gets. How weak."
Newsom continued his verbal attack, condemning the Trump administration for its handling of ICE raids, the handcuffing of Padilla and its threatening an American city with the deployment of the Marines.
"The Founding Fathers did not live and die to see that happen in this country for no reason whatsoever other than vanity theater to instill fear, to incite a response," Newsom said.
Next hearing in Newsom v. Trump
The next hearing in front of Breyer in the Newsom v. Trump case will be at 10 a.m. June 20.
At the hearing, the Trump administration must “show cause” as to why Breyer shouldn’t issue a preliminary injunction — right now, it’s just a temporary restraining order.
L.A. man arrested and accused of shielding protesters faces federal charges
FBI agents arrested Alejandro Theodoro Orellana, 29, early this morning in his East L.A home in connection with protecting "suspected rioters" during a protest last night.
He was charged with two felonies — conspiracy to commit civil disorders and aiding and abetting civil disorders — according to a federal criminal complaint.
He could face up to five years in federal prison for each charge if he is convicted.
According to affidavit, Orellana was seen driving a pickup Monday to the site of a protest and helping distribute face shields to demonstrators after law enforcement officers declared an unlawful assembly.
Orellana remains in federal custody and is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he has legal counsel.
White House appeals judge's ruling on National Guard
The Trump administration has appealed U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer's decision to pause the deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles. Breyer wrote in a ruling tonight that the federal government did not have the authority to nationalize California’s force.
Breyer had issued a stay of the ruling until noon tomorrow to give Trump the chance to appeal his decision.
Judge halts Trump administration National Guard deployment in L.A.
A judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, writing that the federal government did not have the authority to nationalize California’s National Guard.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer issued the temporary restraining order today after an hourlong hearing in a San Francisco federal court.
Breyer issued a stay of the injunction, allowing the administration to appeal the order to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals until noon tomorrow.
California’s attorney general challenged the deployment, saying the administration failed to properly follow the statute that allows federalizing the state’s National Guard.
Breyer’s ruling is broader than the state had sought. State Attorney General Rob Bonta had wanted to ensure that the guard members weren’t participating in civilian law and immigration enforcement, but Breyer said the federal government exceeded its authority because it did not notify Newsom, as the statute cited by the administration requires, and wrote that Trump's actions were illegal, "both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."
"He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith," Breyer continued.
In court, a lawyer for the federal government initially said the administration had complied with the three-prong test required by the statute. He later said the matter was not subject to judicial review.
Hundreds take to Chicago's Michigan Avenue
Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan in Chicago today. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out.
Demonstrators chanted, “No hate, no fear.”
The group later marched along the city’s iconic Michigan Avenue, flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars.
The crowd, including parents with strollers, students and longtime organizers, chanted, “Power to the people, no one is illegal.”
94 arrests, 4 officers injured in Las Vegas protest, police say
Las Vegas police said they made 94 arrests after a protest last night in which people threw rocks and water bottles at officers.
Four officers were injured, police said. The arrests were made after an unlawful assembly was declared on South Las Vegas Boulevard and an order to disperse was issued, police said in a statement this afternoon.
In addition to the 94 arrests, citations were given to seven juveniles, according to the police department.
Some buildings were vandalized and spray-painted, it said.
Judge's decision on challenge to National Guard deployment expected 'very soon'
A federal judge said he expects to rule "very soon" on California’s challenge to the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
During a roughly hourlong hearing today, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer appeared skeptical of the government’s claims that the administration properly federalized the troops.
California’s attorney general challenged the deployment, seeking a temporary restraining order over what the state has described as the Trump administration’s failure to properly follow the statute that allows federalizing the guard.
Members of the California National Guard protect the Federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“There is an ongoing urgent situation in Los Angeles that needs immediate resolution,” a lawyer for the state, Nicholas Green, said in court.
Breyer grilled the government’s attorneys about why they sent the federalization memorandum through the state’s adjutant general, instead of Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the statute cited by the administration requires.
When Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate said the memo was “properly given,” Breyer pressed him on whether telling a governor's chief of staff something is the same thing as telling the governor directly.
Shumate responded that he had "no doubt" Newsom was "fully aware" of the administration's memo.
During the hearing, Shumate initially said the administration had complied with the three-prong test required by the statute. He later said the matter was not subject to judicial review.
After questioning from Breyer, he asked the judge to consider issuing a preliminary injunction instead of a temporary restraining order, which would allow the government to immediately appeal.
Curfew in effect in L.A. for third night
For the third straight night, parts of Los Angeles will be under a curfew from 8 tonight to 6 a.m.
The area covers several downtown blocks.
Police said they made a handful of arrests for curfew violations last night.
Cheerful protest follows familiar Rose Parade route in Pasadena
A protest in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday. Alicia Lozano / NBC News
A cheerful protest shut down parts of Pasadena, California, taking a route similar to that of the annual Rose Parade in the city north of Los Angeles.
Instead of showing off colorful flower-adorned floats, demonstrators chanted “The people united will never be divided” and “ICE out of Dena” as they marched to local hotels, where immigration officials are thought to be staying during the countywide raids.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe activates National Guard as 'precautionary measure'
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced he was activating the Missouri National Guard "as a precautionary measure in reaction to recent instances of civil unrest across the country."
"We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state," Kehoe, a Republican, said in a statement. "While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities."
Since protests erupted in Los Angeles and spread in cities across the country, there have not been any major protests in Missouri. Kehoe did not say how many troops would be activated.
Federal judge to hear arguments shortly on military deployment
A federal judge in San Francisco is expected to hear arguments this afternoon on California’s challenge to the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of National Guard members and hundreds of Marines in the state.
The hearing is expected to start at 1:30 p.m. local time.
A lawsuit filed Monday by the state attorney general calls the deployment unlawful and says the Defense Department did not communicate directly with California's governor about the deployment or seek approval to use the military to protect federal agents and federal property.
Attorneys with the Justice Department claimed in a filing this week that the president was able to "quell the mobs" after state officials were "unable or unwilling" to bring order to Los Angeles.
Padilla: 'We will hold this administration accountable'
Padilla said shortly after he was removed from a Homeland Security news conference in Los Angeles that he was there to meet with a general.
Outside the federal building where the news conference was held, he said he went there to ask Noem questions that his office had posed to her department but that had gone unanswered.
"If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country," he said. "We will hold this administration accountable."
Padilla said he was handcuffed by law enforcement officers but not arrested or detained. He encouraged protesters to keep Saturday's rallies peaceful.
"Come this Saturday, I encourage everybody to please peacefully protest, just like I was calmly and peacefully listening in that press conference and preparing attempting to ask a question," he said. "No violence, no vandalism."
DHS defends removing Padilla, says he chose 'disrespectful political theatre'
The Department of Homeland Security said law enforcement "acted appropriately" in forcibly removing Padilla from the DHS news conference in Los Angeles.
"Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem," DHS said on X. "Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands."
"@SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately," the department added.
The department said Noem and Padilla met for 15 minutes after the incident.
Padilla's office says he was forced to the ground and handcuffed and isn't being detained
Padilla's office said he is not being held by authorities after he was forcibly removed today from the news conference in Los Angeles.
Video showed Padilla being pushed out of the news conference Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in an unspecified federal building.
"He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed," his office said in a statement. "He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information."
Newsom condemns Padilla's removal from DHS news conference
Newsom condemned Padilla's forcible removal from Noem's news conference, saying: “Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”
"Senator Alex Padilla is one of the most decent people I know. This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful," Newsom wrote on X minutes after Padilla was dragged out of the news conference.
Senator forcibly removed from L.A. news conference led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed today from a news conference in Los Angeles by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem said the Justice Department would find and prosecute protesters who committed violence in recent days, thanked law enforcement and lambasted California officials when Padilla began shouting in her direction, according to video of the news conference.
It's unclear what Padilla said before video shows several men pulling him out of the room.
Noem did not stop speaking as Padilla disrupted the news conference and did not address the incident.
Texas Republican calls for ICE to prioritize detaining violent offenders
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, urged the Trump administration today to prioritize detaining undocumented immigrants with histories of criminal violence.
In a letter addressed to the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, Gonzales called on ICE to release figures for how many of the undocumented immigrants detained since January have criminal records.
"Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives," wrote Gonzales, who is the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.
Trump again falsely accuses L.A. protesters of being paid agitators
Trump again repeated false claims that the protesters in Los Angeles were paid agitators.
Speaking with reporters at the White House for a bill signing ceremony, Trump cast doubt on the authenticity of the rallies.
"These people are agitators. They’re paid, they’re professionals, they’re insurrectionists, they’re troublemakers, they’re all of those things," he said. "But I believe they’re paid."
Trump then suggested that the Justice Department would investigate protesters' identities.
LAPD says over 80 people were arrested in Wednesday protests
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that over 80 people were arrested in connection with Wednesday's protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The LAPD said the majority were charged with failure to disperse. Additionally, there were seven arrests for curfew violation, two for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, and one for resisting a police officer.
Numerous less-lethal munitions were used to control the crowd, the LAPD added.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deploys over 5,000 National Guard troops in the state
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he has deployed more than 5,000 National Guard troops to quell protests throughout the state.
In a news release, the governor said 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers have also been deployed ahead of expected weekend protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
"Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law. Don’t mess with Texas — and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement," Abbott said in the press release.
Abbott said Wednesday that he would be deploying National Guard troops throughout the state but declined to give a number until now.
Activists gather in front of White House ahead of Saturday's protest
Activists who are organizing a protest against Saturday's U.S. military parade gathered in front of the White House on Thursday, calling on Americans to protest en masse.
The parade will mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and will coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday. In unprecedented fashion, it is expected to feature tanks and hundreds of other military vehicles and aircraft.
The group of advocates, Refuse Fascism, called on supporters to protest peacefully.
"By marching here, where the eyes of the world will be on Saturday, by standing up where the political battle lines have been drawn, by defying Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional, fascist threat of violence against us, we aim to give strength and courage to the decent people of this country, the tens of millions of people who did not vote for Donald Trump, who do not want the nightmare that he is bringing," Sunsara Taylor, a spokesperson for the group, said.
Trump warned on Tuesday that protesters will be met with "very heavy force."
When asked about Trump's comments, Taylor said Saturday's protest will be a "test."
"The fact that we have to be having that conversation itself should make everybody recognize the stakes of standing up now before we lose these rights, before it is too late," she said.
"Are we going to voluntarily give up our First Amendment right, or are we going to come out with whatever courage it takes and whatever sacrifice it may entail to stand up for the basic rights that should be guaranteed in this country and for the future of humanity against this fascist regime?" she added.
Taylor said she did not have an estimate of how many people were expected to gather for the rally.
Video shows law enforcement crashing into civilian vehicle in Los Angeles
A video obtained by NBC News shows two cars that appear to be driven by law enforcement colliding with a civilian vehicle in Los Angeles on Thursday morning.
The footage shows a white passenger car surrounded by two vehicles on a street. After the collision, men wearing vests and holding guns surround the white vehicle.
Mayra Rojas, the owner of the Paris Store on Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles, who shared the videos with NBC News, said she saw a man, a woman and two kids inside the car that got hit on two sides by the vehicles.
“I was inside but I hear that noise. It sounds like a lot, but I went outside to see it and I start recording,” she said of the moment she heard commotion outside her clothing shop.
In one of the videos, the men can be seen wearing a vest with the words “Police HSI.” HSI stands for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said in a statement that “this was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a CBP officer” and that the suspect, Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho, allegedly attempted to flee following the alleged assault.
At a Wednesday-evening press conference, a lawyer for the family inside the car said the husband, a wife and two minor children were subjected to “chemical agents” during the arrest and called the conduct of the federal agents “completely inexcusable.”
Christian Contreras, the lawyer, says he plans to sue over the incident. Contreras added that the family has seen DHS’ statement alleging one of the individuals in the car had punched a CBP officer, but says he had not yet seen any proof of the allegations being made.
Protesters to hold a press conference in front of White House
A group of protesters will hold a press conference in front of the White House at 11 a.m. ET.
According to a news release, the group Refuse Fascism will address plans to protest the U.S. military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
"This is not a time for fear, it is a time for courage and conviction," the group wrote. "A time to stand up for the future of all."
Trump warned Tuesday that those who protest the event, which will also coincide with his birthday, will be met with "very heavy force."
Federal judge to hear challenge over military deployment to L.A. as protests continue
A federal judge will hear arguments today in the state of California's challenge to the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles.
The hearing, which will take place this afternoon in San Francisco, comes after the state's emergency request to block the deployment was denied on Tuesday.
Nationwide protests expected to continue
Thousands of people across the country are expected to continue protesting nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in recent days in Los Angeles, Pasadena, New York City, Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas and Seattle.
While many of the protests have been peaceful, violent clashes with authorities have prompted officials to enact curfews in parts of downtown Los Angeles and Spokane, Washington.
