The Brief

A third day of protests Sunday turned Los Angeles into a "tinderbox," according to Mayor Karen Bass, as law enforcement clashed with demonstrators over a series of federal immigration raids.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a Saturday post on X that it had arrested 118 immigrants during operations in Los Angeles last week. Since then, demonstrators protesting the raids have clashed with police in Los Angeles, Paramount and neighboring Compton.

Police deployed tear gas and pepper spray as protesters gathered outside a detention center on Sunday. Some of the immigrants detained by ICE agents were initially held at the facility.

President Trump said he would deploy 2,000 National Guard soldiers in response to the protests. In a social media post, Trump attacked what he called "Radical Left protests" by "instigators and often paid troublemakers."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard was not necessary and was "inflaming tensions."

Elsewhere in California, police in San Francisco said 60 people had been arrested Sunday night and at least three officers were injured when police clashed with protesters demonstrating in that city's downtown in support of the Los Angeles protests against the immigration raids.

Here's what to know about what happened in Los Angeles over the weekend.

California Highway Patrol officers work to clear protesters blocking the 101 freeway on June 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.

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Mario Tama

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Getty Images North America

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1: Protesters clashed with police and troops on Sunday

In downtown Los Angeles Sunday, two protests converged near the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison where immigrants were held. The demonstrations grew rowdy and tense. NPR reporters say tear gas was deployed and an "unlawful assembly" was declared from a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter.

The police wrote on X that they were conducting arrests and people were throwing "concrete, bottles and other objects." By Sunday evening, LAist reported that Los Angeles police had arrested 10 and the California Highway Patrol arrested another 17 people on the 101 Freeway.

The LAPD also authorized the use of "less lethal munitions." Several cars were burned in the streets in connection with the clashes.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators said the protests had been mostly peaceful.

"Everybody here wants to be peaceful," Anna Benedict told LAist. "We've been standing here for quite a while, and no one is menacing the National Guard. Everybody is just standing up for their own freedom."

Demonstrators attended protests around the city. Many were responding to ICE actions from previous days.

ICE operations targeted multiple locations across the Los Angeles area, and in some cases demonstrators tried to block the transport of detained immigrants. Authorities used flash bangs, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds. One particularly contentious confrontation occurred at a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, just outside Los Angeles.

"We have to stand united against the attacks on the immigrant community because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," Eli Lockwood told LAist.

2: Trump warned more troops could come

By Sunday morning, around 300 California National Guard troops had been deployed at three sites around Los Angeles, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, deputy director of communications for Gov. Newsom, told NPR by email.

On Sunday evening, Trump told reporters that the federal government would ensure there's "law and order." He described the Los Angeles protests as a "riot" and said that justified calling in the National Guard to support ICE agents.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X Saturday that active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton also were on high alert and would also be mobilized "if violence continues."

Trump said he could also deploy troops to more cities. ICE actions sparked protests in multiple cities across the country, including Minneapolis and Chicago.

"We're going to have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country. We're not gonna let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden and his autopen," Trump said Sunday. (The reference to an "autopen" comes after Trump last week ordered an investigation into whether his predecessor Joe Biden used an autopen to sign documents in office).

This is the first time since the 1960s that the federal government has called up National Guard troops without a governor's consent.

Law enforcement clash with demonstrators in front of a federal building during a protest in Los Angeles on Sunday.

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Etienne Laurent

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3: Local authorities pushed back on Trump — hard

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on All Things Considered on Sunday that coordination with federalized National Guard troops is "collaborative, at this point" but she was critical of Trump's decision to deploy them.

"I believe that these raids and now the federalization of troops to come into Los Angeles is an intentional effort to sow chaos," Bass said. She called the city a "tinderbox" and said, "I do not want to see civil unrest take place in this city and I think bringing the National Guard in is provocative."

Newsom said on social media that he formally asked Trump to rescind the "unlawful" deployment Sunday.

"We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved," Newsom wrote. "This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed."

The Democratic Governors Association issued a statement calling Trump's National Guard deployment "an alarming abuse of power."

"Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a state's governor is ineffective and dangerous," read the statement, which included the names of 22 Democratic governors.

4: It sets the stage for more clashes

President Trump and conservative media have labeled the protests in Los Angeles as a "riot" and said that justified deploying the National Guard.

"I think it was a riot. I think it was very bad. It was covered as a riot by almost everybody," Trump said before leaving for Camp David from New Jersey Sunday evening. He questioned the ability of local officials to bring the protests under control and said the federal government would ensure there's "law and order."

Trump appears likely to continue his administration's ramped up immigration enforcement in his second term, after running on a promise to conduct mass deportations.

At Camp David, Trump said he plans to meet with people, including generals and admirals. Asked about sending Marines and protests in other cities, Trump left open that possibility.

"The bar is what I think it is. I mean, If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, we'll be very, very strong in terms of law and order. It's about law and order," Trump said.

The Democratic governors, in their statement, said they are capable of maintaining order.

"It's important we respect the executive authority of our country's governors to manage their National Guards — and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation," they wrote in their statement.
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A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.

Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.

The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.

Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.

“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”

La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.

Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.

The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.

The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.

The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.

His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.

Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.