HOUSTON, United States
Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Los Angeles for a third straight day as the Trump administration continued its immigration raids in the US state of California.
Demonstrators gathered outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at workplaces in America's second largest city stop immediately.
Police fired tear gas into the crowd to break up violent confrontations and arrested dozens of people, according to media outlets, but protesters stood their ground.
"Very strong community, and this is why we show up, and we're gonna keep showing up because, well, it is an obligation and a duty for each and every one of us to be here and fight against the oppression and these kidnappers," Nabil Shukir told television station ABC7.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Sunday. The White House said in a statement that the guardsmen were being sent to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester" in California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom objected to Trump's deployment of the troops.
"The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles -- not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," Newsom said in a statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom's sentiment, calling the president's deployment of troops "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 posted on X. "This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protestors to remain peaceful."
Fidel Gomez, whose uncle was arrested in the protests, which began Friday, said that demonstrators are standing up for their civil rights.
"People need to understand: this is only happening right now to immigrants, to people in this country legally, but pretty soon, any kind of dissent is gonna be criminalized," Gomez said in an interview with ABC7. "Everybody thinks it's happening to somebody else. Eventually, it's gonna come to their doorstep."
The National Guard could remain in Los Angeles County for up to 60 days, depending on the severity of the violence and continued protests.
