Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “deranged” over his threat to send in nearby Marines to quell riots in Los Angeles.
Protests broke out in the city on Friday in response to a wave of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting illegal immigrants. Violence escalated on Saturday, prompting President Donald Trump to sign a presidential memorandum taking command of 2,000 National Guard members and deploying them to the city.
Hegseth expressed support for the order on Saturday night, saying the riots and attacks on ICE facilities represented a national security threat. He then announced that Marines in nearby Camp Pendleton could also be deployed if the violence continued.
“The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,” he said in a post on X.
Newsom quickly decried the threat.
“The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior,” Newsom said.
Hegseth responded to the remark Sunday morning, reiterating his threat.
“Deranged = allowing your city to burn & law enforcement to be attacked. There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE,” he said.
He then shared an image of rioters burning a car while waving a Mexican flag.
“Another ‘mostly peaceful protest’ brought to you by @GavinNewsom,” Hegseth said. “DEPORT.”
Newsom shared a post from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), implying that the deployment of the National Guard was part of a wider conspiracy to end the rule of law in the United States.
“Important to remember that Trump isn’t trying to heal or keep the peace. He is looking to inflame and divide. His movement doesn’t believe in democracy or protest — and if they get a chance to end the rule of law they will take it. None of this is on the level,” the post read.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked Newsom for his support in a post on X, adding that the National Guard hadn’t yet been deployed within Los Angeles proper as of shortly after midnight local time on Sunday.
“I want to thank LAPD and local law enforcement for their work tonight. I also want to thank @GovernorNewsom for his support. Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles,” Bass, a Democrat, said.
The BBC reported that the first group of National Guard members arrived in the city a few hours after Bass’s statement. They arrived from San Bernardino County and gathered at the LA detention center, where illegal immigrants arrested during the ICE raids are detained.
Trump had earlier thanked the National Guard for a “job well done!”
“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest. We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal permitting is complete!), unable to to handle the task,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Sunday morning.
“These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED,” Trump went on. “Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!”
Violence continued throughout much of the night early Sunday morning but appears to have scaled down amid an increasing police response, the BBC reported. Protests are expected to restart later on Sunday.
Police deployed flashbangs, tear gas, pepper spray, and other crowd control devices to combat the protests. Rioters used improvised explosive devices, stones, and Molotov cocktails. Some areas were looted.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that two of its officers had been wounded, while one rioter had been arrested and several others detained.
TRUMP THANKS NATIONAL GUARD FOR ‘JOB WELL DONE’ COMBATING LA RIOTS
While many state officials argued that the National Guard wasn’t needed, interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli told the New York Times that the troops were needed to “regain order.”
“The state has an obligation to maintain order and maintain public safety, and they’re unable to do that right now in Los Angeles,” he said. “They threw rocks at the officer. We had Molotov cocktails thrown. We had all kinds of assaults on agents.”