LA Riots Ignite as Trump Deploys National Guard, Lawmakers Clash Over ICE Chaos

Los Angeles is ablaze with tension as protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations spiral into chaos, prompting President Donald Trump to federalize the National Guard for the first time in six decades. The move, a rare flex of presidential muscle last seen during the 1965 Selma marches, has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle trading barbs over who’s fanning the flames.

Republicans, like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), point fingers at sanctuary city policies, arguing they’ve birthed this unrest. "These riots are the rotten fruit of defying federal law," Boebert told WTFNewsRoom, her voice sharp with conviction. Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) warned that Democratic anti-ICE rhetoric is a "ticking time bomb" that could cost lives.

Democrats, however, accuse the Trump administration of pouring gasoline on the fire. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, eyeing a 2028 White House bid, has rallied against the deployment of Guardsmen and Marines, filing an emergency motion to block Trump’s military maneuver. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), another 2028 hopeful, didn’t mince words: "Raiding schools and Home Depots, tearing families apart—this is Trump and Stephen Miller engineering social chaos."

The drama peaked when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was handcuffed and removed after confronting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at an LA press conference. Democrats cried foul, while Republicans called Padilla’s stunt reckless. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) reframed the protests as a stand for constitutional rights, not an attack on ICE. "Since 2003, immigrant communities have called ICE rogue for trampling due process," she said.

A federal judge briefly ordered Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Newsom, but an appeals court swiftly overturned the ruling. The White House doubled down, with spokesperson Anna Kelly declaring, "No court can strip the President’s power to protect federal assets in Newsom’s lawless LA."

As the city simmers, the nation watches, wondering if this clash will reshape the immigration debate or simply scar the City of Angels.