The New York Times editorial board argued on Sunday that the "real emergency" with regard to the Los Angeles anti-ICE demonstrations was that President Donald Trump sent troops to quell the unrest.
The editorial board wrote that the National Guard was typically called in for natural disasters, civil disturbances or for support during a public health crisis, adding, "There was no indication that was needed or wanted in Los Angeles this weekend, where local law enforcement had kept protests over federal immigration raids, for the most part, under control."
Trump sent the National Guard to California over the weekend as anti-ICE riots escalated, with participants vandalizing vehicles and buildings and assaulting police officers to protest the ICE raids in LA.
The Times editors argued that sending the National Guard in was creating "the very chaos it was purportedly designed to prevent."
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The New York Times editorial board argued on Sunday that the "real emergency" with regard to the LA demonstrations was that Trump called in the National Guard. (Screenshot/NYT, (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images), )
"Past presidents, from both parties, have rarely deployed troops inside the United States because they worried about using the military domestically and because the legal foundations for doing so are unclear. Congress should turn its attention to such deliberations promptly. If presidents hesitate before using the military to assist in recovery after natural disasters but feel free to send in soldiers after a few cars are set on fire, the law is alarmingly vague," the editors wrote.
The FBI is searching for a suspect accused of assaulting a federal officer and damaging government property during the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles.
On Saturday, the suspect allegedly threw rocks at law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Blvd. in Paramount, Calif., resulting in injury to a federal officer and damage to government vehicles.
While The New York Times discouraged violence from protesters, it argued that Trump's move to send in the National Guard was not helping.
A law enforcement officer works to put out a fire during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
"Mr. Trump’s order establishes neither law nor order. Rather it sends the message that the administration is interested in only overreaction and overreach. The scenes of tear gas in Los Angeles streets on Sunday underscored that point: that Mr. Trump’s idea of law and order is strong-handed, disproportionate intervention that adds chaos, anxiety and risk to already tense situations," the editorial board wrote.
The Los Angeles Police Department declared an "unlawful assembly" Sunday night as protesters failed to disperse in the downtown area.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also criticized Trump for deploying the National Guard, accusing him of making it worse.
"Let’s get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn’t need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded. 4) Now things are destabilized, and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump’s mess," Newsom wrote on social media.
Los Angeles County Sheriffs stand during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
During a press conference Sunday evening, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called the anti-ICE riots happening in the city and violence against law enforcement "disgusting."