Paramount ICE protests lead to fires, clashes
FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff captured the intense sights and sounds of Day 2 of the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests. Saturday’s scenes in Paramount showed flash bangs, small explosions and small fires, in addition to tense encounters between federal law enforcements and civilians.
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump’s administration is sending the National Guard to Los Angeles County.
What we know:
During the broadcast of FOX News’ “The Big Weekend Show,” U.S. border czar Tom Homan said the National Guard will be brought in at some point Saturday night.
Homan’s on-air declaration comes as Los Angeles County has entered Day 2 of anti-ICE protests.
“This is about enforcing the law and again, we’re not going to apologize for doing it,” Homan told the “The Big Weekend Show” hosts on Saturday. “We’re stepping up… we were already mobilizing. We’re going to bring National Guard in tonight. We’re going to continue doing our job. We’re going to push back on these people and we’re going to enforce the law.
President Trump took to his Truth Social account to confirm the move, calling out California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the process.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem,” Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday. “[Riots and looters], the way it should be solved.”
RELATED: Paramount at center of clashes between feds, civilians, car fires, rocks thrown at CBP
The backstory:
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents made their way to a building across the street from the Home Depot on Alondra Drive in Paramount on Saturday, June 7. Federal law enforcement were then met by protesters and activists accusing them of staging an ICE raid.
There, tensions escalated between the protesters, alleged agitators with no ties to immigration advocacy, and federal law enforcement. Rocks were thrown at CBP vehicles, people were arrested in Paramount, and flash bangs were reportedly thrown by law enforcement fighting to get out of the area.
At one point, a car was set on fire at a nearby intersection.
What we don’t know:
FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff reports the area was not explicitly chosen as the site of the alleged ICE raid, but was believed to be a staging area for CBP. It is unknown what CBP’s plans were prior to the protests.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, no information have been released by local authorities in terms of number of arrests or number of injuries being reported from the Paramount scene.
Homan did not specify the timing of the National Guard’s arrival. It is also unknown how long the National Guard will stick around after they arrive.
What they’re saying:
California Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media to express his disapproval of Trump administration’s move.
“The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers,” Newsom wrote on social media. “That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
Rep. Nanette Barragán, a Democrat representing Paramount, shared her displeasure at having CBP agents in her area.
“ICE has brought their terror tactics and masked agents to #Paramount this morning — in my district,” she wrote on social media. “This is unacceptable. We will demand answers and accountability. For those out there – please stay safe, protest peacefully, and KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed that the National Guard is on its way and blamed criminal cartels for allegedly facilitating a “dangerous invasion” in U.S. soil.
“The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK,” he wrote on social media. “Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It’s COMMON SENSE.”
Big picture view:
The recent raids come in the wake of Trump’s nationwide push for mass deportations.
Internal government data shows ICE arrests during President Donald Trump’s second term have already surpassed 100,000 this week, including over 2,000 arrests on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This marks a dramatic increase from the daily average of approximately 660 arrests during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
These numbers reportedly move closer to the stated goal of top administration officials, such as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has pushed for ICE to conduct “a minimum” of 3,000 arrests each day.
The Source: This report used information provided by FOX News, previous FOX 11 coverage, and social media posts published by local elected leaders.
