People block off the street and set a fire during protests against ICE and immigration raids on Saturday in Paramount, California. Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Protests against recent Trump-era federal immigration sweeps have erupted in chaos in Los Angeles County as elected state officials try to dissuade violence. The big picture: President Trump and his administration held firm, promising continued immigration enforcement actions Saturday, while laying blame for unrest at the feet of protesters and state officials. What they’re saying: President Trump called out Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom specifically in a Truth Social post on Saturday evening: The other side: Newsom said in a post on X Saturday that the “federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers.” Mayor Bass focused on federal immigration sweeps in her statement shared on social media earlier on Friday. She said federal immigration enforcement actions “sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.” Catch up quick: The Los Angeles protest Friday reportedly led to hundreds of detainments, a standoff with federal agents and flash bang grenades. Zoom in: When asked about the downtown Los Angeles protest, Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said demonstrators were “assaulting ICE enforcement officers, slashing tires, defacing buildings and taxpayer funded property.” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement Friday the sheriff’s department does not participation in the mass sweeps and that such enforcements are the “responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies.” Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional statements. Protestors briefly shut down the Bloomington-Lake intersection in front of the Minneapolis taqueria that a federally led task force raided Tuesday. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios Some Minneapolis and Hennepin County elected leaders are questioning why local law enforcement officers were on the scene of a federally led raid Tuesday that involved agents from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Why it matters: The incident highlights a challenge facing city and county officials who have vowed not to assist federal law enforcement with the immigration crackdown President Trump has promised, but who also work with federal agencies to investigate other types of crime. Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios Federal authorities arrested 189 people in D.C. last week in a sweeping, multi-agency immigration crackdown — part of a broader effort under President Trump’s new “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful” directive. The big picture: It’s the first major move since Trump’s March executive order established a federal task force to crack down on crime, clear homeless encampments, and “maximize immigration enforcement.” South Park bystanders surrounded ICE agents and protested their enforcement action Friday. Photo: Keith Berkeley An Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid Friday at Buona Forchetta restaurant shook the South Park neighborhood and grew into a national controversy through the weekend. Why it matters: Three employees at the restaurant were taken away when they couldn’t show identification, after armed ICE agents cuffed the entire staff at 4:30pm Friday. Axios Media Inc., 2025
