Tensions are escalating between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue to grip Los Angeles and spread to New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Texas, and other cities.
Trump deployed about 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to LA against Newsom's wishes.
A federal appeals court Thursday delayed an order requiring the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom, dealing the administration a temporary reprieve to what would have been a major reversal of its policy on the protests.
Police declare unlawful assembly in the Alameda area of Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Police Department has declared unlawful assembly in the Alameda area of Los Angeles between Temple and Aliso streets.
"All persons must leave the area or be subject to arrest," police said.
Law enforcement clashes with demonstrators outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, MDC, in downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Additionally, the use of less lethal munitions has been authorized.
"Persons throwing items at officers will be detained and arrested," police added.
-ABC News' Tristan Maglunog and Alyssa Starr
Jun 08, 2025, 5:51 PM EDT
LAPD goes on 'Tactical Alert' as protests continue
The Los Angeles Police Department is going on "Tactical Alert" on Sunday -- just as the police force did for several hours on Friday -- amid ongoing immigration protests.
The term signifies a heightened level of response and preparedness where officers can be kept on past their shift end time and moved around between divisions.
This type of response is often deployed when major events occur in the city, which require significant resources.
-ABC News' Alex Stone
Jun 08, 2025, 5:39 PM EDT
'Liberate Los Angeles from the migrant invasion,' Trump says
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday, instructing his administration -- specifically Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi -- to take all necessary actions to "liberate Los Angeles from the migrant invasion."
Trump claimed that "violent insurrectionist mobs" are attacking federal agents to halt his administration's deportation efforts.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on board Air Force One on its way from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 6, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
"Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free," Trump wrote.
On Saturday, Trump signed a memorandum to deploy the National Guard as protests in Los Angeles entered their third consecutive day. The memorandum stated that up to 2,000 service members could be deployed for a duration of 60 days or as determined by the defense secretary. The National Guard arrived in Los Angeles overnight.
Both the president and the secretary of defense have not ruled out sending Marines to California.
-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh
Jun 08, 2025, 5:17 PM EDT
Trump doesn't rule out sending active-duty Marines to California
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spoke to reporters on the tarmac on Sunday before departing for Camp David.
As protests over immigration enforcement operations continue in Los Angeles, the president did not rule out sending active-duty Marines to California, confirming Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's earlier suggestion.
Trump's comments come as California National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, a decision that drew ire from Democratic governors, including California's Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Members of the California National Guard stand outside the Edward R. Roybal federal building after their deployment by U.S. President Donald Trump, in response to protests against immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, June 8, 2025.
Mike Blake/Reuters
When asked what the bar is to send Marines, Trump said the bar is "what I think it is."
"The bar is what I think it is. If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, and we'll be very, very strong in terms of law and order," Trump said.
Trump also claimed that protestors are spitting at police officers and suggested a new saying he's created: "they spit, we hit."
"They spit, we hit," Trump said. "I told them, nobody's gonna spit on our police officers, nobody's gonna spit on our military, which they do, it is a common thing. They get up to them and go this far away, and then they start spitting in their face. If that happens, they get hit very hard."
