California National Guard troops started arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, hours after President Donald Trump signed an order to deploy 2,000 service members in response to immigration protests in Los Angeles.
"Elements of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the California National Guard have begun deploying to the Los Angeles area, with some already on the ground," U.S. Northern Command wrote on X.
Trump's order, announced by the White House Saturday night, comes amid continued clashes between demonstrators and federal agents executing immigration enforcement actions in L.A., which have led to more than 100 arrests.
"In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Leavitt told NBC News that Trump is federalizing part of California's National Guard that would otherwise report to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Presidents have the authority to do so under limited circumstances.
Newsom slammed Trump's move, calling it "purposefully inflammatory" and said it "will only escalate tensions."
"LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice," Newsom wrote on X. "We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need."
"This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust," he said.
Trump and Newsom spoke on Friday for approximately 40 minutes, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Sunday that the deployment of federalized troops "is a chaotic escalation."
"The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it's felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk," Bass said in a statement.
She urged "protestors to remain peaceful" and said that she has been in touch with immigrants rights leaders and local law enforcement.
The White House on Saturday showed no signs that it was preparing to de-escalate the situation.
On the contrary, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy U.S. Marines in addition to the members of the National Guard.
"If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert," he posted on X.
Trump on Truth Social early Sunday morning wrote, "great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest."
His post came before the troops he ordered officially arrived in the area.
Trump spent Saturday night attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship match at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The White House also released a formal memo from the president to the secretary of Defense, the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security.
"To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States," the memo stated.
"In light of these incidents and credible threats of continued violence, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard."
Vice President JD Vance called the protestors "insurrectionists" in a post on X.
"Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil," Vance wrote.
Labor leader David Huerta, president of the SEIU California, was injured Friday when he was arrested while observing the protests. The Homeland Security Department alleged that Huerta was "obstructing" federal officers.
