Los Angeles. Tensions flared in Los Angeles on Sunday as thousands of protesters marched through the city in response to President Donald Trump’s deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops. Demonstrators blocked a major freeway, torched self-driving vehicles, and clashed with law enforcement, which responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs.

As night fell, police declared an unlawful assembly and began arresting those who refused to leave. Some protesters lobbed concrete, rocks, fireworks, and electric scooters at officers, including California Highway Patrol personnel stationed on the southbound 101 Freeway. Officers were seen taking cover beneath an overpass.

Sunday marked the third and most intense day of protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million. The unrest surged following the arrival of about 300 National Guard members, deployed to protect federal facilities, including a downtown detention center.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed” and blamed the escalation on agitators. Dozens of people were arrested over the weekend, including one for hurling a Molotov cocktail and another for driving a motorcycle into a police line.

Trump responded on Truth Social, urging authorities to arrest masked protesters and demanding more federal troops. “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he posted.

In San Francisco, police arrested 60 people after a protest turned violent late Sunday. Officers declared an unlawful assembly when some participants vandalized buildings and a police vehicle. Three officers were injured, one of whom was hospitalized.

National Guard troops arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday morning, armed with long guns and riot shields. Protesters confronted them with chants of “shame” and “go home.” Officers later deployed smoke canisters and crowd-control munitions to disperse demonstrators who had moved onto the 101 Freeway.

In one area, at least four Waymo self-driving vehicles were set ablaze, sending black smoke billowing into the sky. By evening, authorities had closed several downtown streets, with flash bangs echoing every few seconds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Trump to withdraw the National Guard, labeling the deployment a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” Newsom, who met with local officials and police in Los Angeles, said Trump’s move inflamed tensions rather than promoted safety.

“This is about another agenda,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “This isn’t about public safety.”

McDonnell rejected claims that local law enforcement failed to assist federal agents following immigration raids on Friday. He said the LAPD had not been notified of the raids in advance and responded as quickly as possible.

Newsom accused Trump of lying about the situation in California. On MSNBC, he called the president a “stone cold liar” for claiming he had briefed the governor on the deployment. A White House spokesperson fired back, saying Newsom’s denial was “a bald-faced lie.”

The National Guard deployment followed two days of protests sparked by federal immigration raids across the Los Angeles area. Detainees were arrested in locations including a Home Depot parking lot and the city’s fashion district. Protesters gathered Saturday near a Homeland Security office in Paramount, suspecting additional raids.

Authorities said over 100 immigrants had been detained in the Los Angeles area during the week, with many more protesters arrested, including a prominent union leader.

While large, the protests remained smaller than those seen during past periods of unrest, including the 1992 Rodney King riots and the 2020 demonstrations against police violence. Notably, Trump invoked a legal statute allowing the federal government to deploy troops in times of “rebellion,” authorizing 2,000 Guard members nationwide.

As he departed for New Jersey on Sunday, Trump told reporters, “There are violent people in L.A. and they’re not gonna get away with it.” Asked about deploying US troops more broadly, he responded, “We’re gonna have troops everywhere.”

The Pentagon confirmed that 500 Marines at Twentynine Palms were on standby, ready to deploy if ordered.

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