Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, including Los Angeles

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Last updated: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 5:54AM GMT
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- President Trump is calling for even more expanded deportation operations in several major cities across the country, including Los Angeles.

Trump in a social media posting called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials "to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History."

The moves comes after large protests erupted in L.A. and other major cities against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

So far, it's not known how exactly that will impact L.A. But Sunday, at the president's directions, the Department of Homeland Security said it would pause most raids on farms, restaurants and hotels.

The Trump administration has continued widespread immigration enforcement activities -- with a reported goal of up to 3,000 deportations per day.

The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 575 people related to protest activity since they started earlier this month, police said Sunday, including 14 for looting.

Last week, President Donald Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines to tamp down the disruptive demonstrations while the immigration raids continue.

A federal court hearing is set for Tuesday to determine whether Trump or California Gov. Gavin Newsom will control future National Guard activity going forward. Newsom challenged Trump's decision to federalize the Guard, an action U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said in a ruling last week did not follow congressionally mandated procedure.

His ruling was stayed by a three-judge appellate panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a Trump administration notice of appeal, temporarily keeping the National Guard troops under federal control, at least through Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.

ByAlex Stone ABCNews logo
Jun 17, 2025, 5:20 PM GMT

2 men charged by feds for roles in LA protests

Two men are being charged by the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles for possession of an unregistered destructive device for their alleged roles in LA protest violence, federal prosecutors will announce Wednesday.

Emiliano Galvez and Wrackkie Quiogue are both accused of trying to throw Molotov cocktails at police, according to federal prosecutors.

Two men are being charged by the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles for possession of an unregistered destructive device for their roles in the Los Angeles protest violence.
Two men are being charged by the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles for possession of an unregistered destructive device for their roles in the Los Angeles protest violence.

When the LAPD approached Quiogue -- who officials said was armed with a Molotov cocktail at Sunday's protest in downtown LA -- he allegedly "threw the Molotov cocktail into the air and attempted to flee," the complaint said. LAPD officers subdued Quiogue and arrested him, prosecutors said.

Galvez is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail over a wall toward LA sheriff's deputies who were "engaging in crowd control activities" during a protest in Paramount, a south LA city, on Saturday, federal prosecutors said. Galvez was arrested after a foot chase, officials said.

Click here to read more.

ByPeter Charalambous ABCNews logo
Jun 13, 2025, 11:16 PM GMT

DOJ calls lawsuit challenging federal deployment a 'crass political stunt'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's lawsuit challenging the Trump administration from using the military to enforce federal immigration laws is a "crass political stunt endangering American lives," Department of Justice lawyers said.

The lawyers asked a federal judge to deny Newsom's request for a temporary restraining order that would limit the military to protecting federal buildings, arguing such an order would amount to a "rioters' veto to enforcement of federal law."

California National Guard stand in formation guarding the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
California National Guard stand in formation guarding the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

"The extraordinary relief Plaintiffs request would judicially countermand the Commander in Chief's military directives -- and would do so in the posture of a temporary restraining order, no less. That would be unprecedented. It would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous," they argued.

In Newsom's request for an emergency order blocking the troops from assisting in federal law enforcement, he argued Trump failed to meet the legal requirements for a federal deployment of the National Guard. Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services allows a federal deployment in response to a "rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States."

"To put it bluntly, there is no invasion or rebellion in Los Angeles; there is civil unrest that is no different from episodes that regularly occur in communities throughout the country, and that is capable of being contained by state and local authorities working together," Newsom argued.

In response, lawyers with the Department of Justice argued that California should not "second-guess the President's judgment that federal reinforcements were necessary" and that a federal court should defer to the president's discretion on military matters.a

ABCNews logo
Jun 11, 2025, 7:09 PM GMT

Photos show Nat'l Guard with rifles on ICE enforcement missions

There are currently 4,100 California National Guardsmen and 700 Marines in the greater Los Angeles area after President Donald Trump ordered them to protect federal buildings and federal law enforcement as protests opposed to ICE raids increased over the weekend.

Most of the attention has been focused on the crowd control assistance that these troops could provide around federal buildings, but Trump's memo calling up National Guardsmen also said they would "temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law."

National Guardsmen accompany ICE officers while they detain a man in Los Angeles.
National Guardsmen accompany ICE officers while they detain a man in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, the X page for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted photos of California National Guardsmen on the scene of a detention being carried out by an ICE agent with the caption "Photos from today's ICE Los Angeles immigration enforcement operation."

The Posse Comitatus Act prevents active-duty U.S. military personnel from carrying out domestic law enforcement duties though that restriction can be lifted when a president invokes the Insurrection Act, which President Trump has not done.

In the photos, the National Guardsmen were armed with rifles but it was unclear if they were loaded with ammunition. ABC News has previously reported that while the federalized troops are carrying weapons, their guns will not have ammunition loaded in the chamber, according to U.S. officials. But they will carry ammunition as part of their regular uniforms that can be used in the rare case of needed self-defense.

Read the full story here.

ByAlex Stone ABCNews logo
Jun 17, 2025, 5:20 PM GMT

225 arrests in LA Tuesday night

In downtown Los Angeles Tuesday night, 203 people were arrested for failing to disperse and 17 were arrested for curfew violation, the LAPD said.

Another three people were arrested for possession of a firearm, one person was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one was arrested for discharging a laser at an LAPD airship, police said.

Two LAPD officers were hurt, police said.

California Highway Patrol officers clash with protesters on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles.
California Highway Patrol officers clash with protesters on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles.

The arrests came after LA Mayor Karen Bass issued an overnight curfew for about 1 square mile of downtown.