Protests In L.A. Over Trump's Immigration Policies

Summary

Summary of "Protests In L.A. Over Trump's Immigration Policies"
The NPR Politics Podcast
Release Date: June 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The NPR Politics Podcast, hosts Sarah McCammon, Rachel Bustia, and Tom Bowman delve into the escalating tensions in Los Angeles sparked by President Donald Trump's recent immigration policies. The discussion encompasses the surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, the unprecedented federalization of the National Guard, reactions from California officials, and significant legal cases affecting immigration enforcement.

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Escalation of Immigration Enforcement in California

The episode begins with Rachel Bustia outlining the recent surge in ICE activities across California. She notes, “[...] last week there were several arrests throughout the state, but particularly on Friday, there were at least three specific immigration enforcement operations” (01:14). These operations culminated on Saturday with ICE announcing the arrest of 118 individuals. The intensity of these enforcement actions led to widespread protests in Los Angeles, with residents expressing strong opposition to the arrests in their communities.

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Federalization of the National Guard

A pivotal moment discussed is President Trump's decision to federalize the National Guard in response to the protests. Tom Bowman highlights the rarity of such a move, stating, “It's pretty unusual. It has happened in the past [...] Very, very unusual” (02:22). He references historical instances, such as Lyndon Johnson’s use of the National Guard during the civil rights movement, to emphasize the gravity of the current situation. Unlike typical deployments for natural disasters, this federalization is directly tied to immigration enforcement and civil unrest.

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Department of Homeland Security Memo and Guard Deployment Plans

Tom Bowman further elaborates on a recent memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which requests up to 20,000 National Guard members to support immigration enforcement. He explains, “this memo from May 9 [...] up to 3,500 Guard personnel for field investigative units” (04:39). The roles outlined include surveillance, night operations, rural interdiction, and guard duty at detention facilities. Notably, the memo suggests the possibility of deploying Guard members across state lines, a departure from standard protocol, raising concerns about jurisdictional overreach.

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California Officials' Response to Federal Actions

Rachel Bustia reports strong resistance from California’s leadership against the federalization of the National Guard. She cites LA Mayor Karen Bass, who criticized the move as an attempt “to sow chaos” (09:29), and Governor Gavin Newsom, who publicly requested President Trump to revoke the deployment and indicated plans to sue the administration. This resistance underscores a significant state-federal conflict over immigration policy enforcement.

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Potential Expansion of National Guard Deployment

The discussion shifts to the likelihood of the National Guard deployment extending beyond California. Tom Bowman predicts a high probability of expansion, given the DHS memo and the administration's aggressive stance. Rachel adds, “...we have to keep an eye on that as well” (05:56), highlighting the unprecedented nature of the proposed cross-state Guard deployments. This development suggests a possible nationwide intensification of immigration enforcement efforts.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case: A Legal Battle

The episode also covers the high-profile case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Rachel Bustia outlines the case, noting, “Abrego Garcia was a man who was living in Maryland, and he was arrested by ICE [...] deported to El Salvador” (11:09). Despite a 2019 immigration judge's order preventing his deportation to El Salvador due to safety concerns, Garcia was sent to a notorious prison facility. Following litigation and a Supreme Court ruling favoring his return, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his repatriation. However, Garcia now faces new federal charges related to alien smuggling, complicating his legal situation and raising questions about the administration’s immigration enforcement integrity.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with hosts summarizing the turbulent state of immigration policy enforcement under President Trump’s administration. The federalization of the National Guard in California marks a significant escalation, inviting widespread protests and legal challenges. The Kilmar Abrego Garcia case exemplifies the contentious and often contradictory nature of current immigration policies, highlighting the deep divisions and legal complexities at play.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Rachel Bustia (01:14): “Last week there were several arrests throughout the state. [...] especially on Friday, there were at least three specific immigration enforcement operations.”

• Tom Bowman (02:22): “It's pretty unusual. It has happened in the past. [...] Very, very unusual.”

• President Trump (03:33): “We have to send in the National Guard. I'm taking control of the California National Guard.”

• LA Mayor Karen Bass (09:29): “This kind of coordination to deploy the National Guard was not the right move. It's an effort to sow chaos.”

• Governor Gavin Newsom (09:29): “[...] I have asked Trump to rescind the unlawful deployment and we plan to sue the president over this.”

• Rachel Bustia (14:00): “There are still a lot of questions about what will happen in that case. [...] yet to see what happens in the Maryland case as well.”

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Timestamp Reference Guide:

• 01:14: Rachel Bustia discusses recent ICE operations in California.
• 02:22: Tom Bowman on the unusual federalization of the National Guard.
• 03:33: Rachel Bustia quotes President Trump’s justification for deploying the National Guard.
• 04:39: Tom Bowman elaborates on the DHS memo requesting National Guard support.
• 05:56: Rachel Bustia discusses potential interstate deployment of the National Guard.
• 09:29: Responses from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom.
• 11:09: Rachel Bustia outlines the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case.
• 14:00: Rachel Bustia comments on ongoing legal uncertainties.

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a clear understanding of the current state of immigration policy enforcement and the significant reactions it has elicited in Los Angeles and beyond.

Transcript

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[Rachel]

Hi, my name is Rachel and I'm from San Antonio, Texas. I've spent my senior year of high school taking AP United States Government and Politics. And today I'm taking my final exam. I know that the things I learned from my government teacher and listening to this show every day will help me nail the test.

[Sarah McCammon]

This podcast was recorded on 1:32pm Eastern Time on Monday, June 9, 2025.

[Rachel]

Things might have changed by the time you hear this, but I will have taken my government exam and hopefully killed it. Here's the show.

[Sarah McCammon]

Congrats on, I guess, completing senior year soon.

[Rachel]

Yeah, big moments.

[Sarah McCammon]

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics podcast. I'm Sarah McCammon. I cover politics.

[Rachel]

I'm Jimena Bustia and I cover immigration policy.

[Tom Bowman]

I'm Tom Bowman. I cover the Pentagon.

[Sarah McCammon]

And today on the show, we're looking at the major demonstrations in Los Angeles in response to President Trump's immigration policies. Jimene, you cover immigration. First, if you could just walk us through what's happened recently. How did we get here?

[Rachel]

So we have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conduct, you know, immigration arrests across the country, but that includes California. And last week there were several arrests throughout the state. But particularly on Friday, there were at least three specific immigration enforcement operations. And those can be arrests, raid variations. And then on Saturday, ICE said that it had arrested 118 people through these operations. These arrests were met with a lot of resistance from people living in la, people who decided to take to the streets and protest that these arrests, arrests were happening in their community, and that led to clashes with law enforcement. And then that bubbled up, resulting in President Trump federalizing the National Guard on Saturday night.

[Sarah McCammon]

Yeah. And that's what's so out of the ordinary here, right? I mean, Tom, the president called in the Guard without asking local officials about it first. Usually the way it works is the governor calls in their state's National Guard if they need help. I mean, how unusual is this?

[Tom Bowman]

It's pretty unusual. It has happened in the past. Last time was 60 years ago when Lyndon Johnson federalized, he took control of the Alabama Guard so he could protect civil rights protesters down there. John Kennedy did it to desegregate his school in Alabama as well. And Eisenhower also used it for the same purpose to desegregate A school in Little Rock, Arkansas. So it has happened in the past. Very, very unusual. And I think you have to look at the National Guard as a governor's army. And generally what it does is respond to natural disasters, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes. They rescue people, they clear debris, they fill sandbags and so forth. That's generally what you see the Guard doing. But in this case, again, local officials said, no, we can handle this, the police can handle this. Right? People are throwing bottles and so forth, but local police can handle it. And as it expanded, right, the president clearly said on Saturday, no, we have to send in the National Guard. I'm taking control of the California National Guard. And by law, he can do it.

[Sarah McCammon]

Which, again, isn't how things normally work. So, Jimena, I mean, how is President Trump justifying that decision?

[Rachel]

So he has been very vocal on social media. Earlier today, he posted on Truth Social that they made that decision to send in the National Guard to, quote, deal with the violent, instigating riots in California. He carries on to say that if they had not done so, Louisiana would be, quote, completely obliterated. And so what we have seen over the past 3ish days is a very united front from the Trump administration, his Cabinet members, and the leaders within DHS and other security agencies to paint this picture that California would have fallen politically, economically, socially if they had not gone in with a full security force. That is their justification. As Tom says, that's not the picture that California leaders are painting.

[Sarah McCammon]

And Tom, this comes just after some exclusive reporting that you've done. There's this new memo from the Department of Homeland Security that you reported on, which allows for the Guard to be essentially more readily available for whatever the president wants or needs. Tell us about this memo and what it would allow.

[Tom Bowman]

Well, first of all, we all reported that there was a request From DHS for 20,000 National Guard members to help out in some of these deportations. We finally got some great detail into exactly who those folks would be, what they would be doing. So this memo from May 9 from Homeland Security to the Pentagon said we need up to 3,500 Guard personnel for field investigative units, for high priority fugitive cases, surveillance, and, get this, night operations and rural interdiction. Rural interdiction. They don't define what it is, but presumably it's, we're going to go to, you know, vineyards and large farms where many migrants will be working to round them up. And also they want up to 2,500 personnel for guard duty at federal detention facilities and other locations inside the detention centers. And Also riot control and search teams as well. Now, the bulk of the other 20,000 would be up to 10,000 personnel, it says here, for intra and interstate transport of detainees. Which is really interesting because usually a guard operates within a state, right?

[Sarah McCammon]

So it sounds like by nature it's a state organization.

[Tom Bowman]

It sounds like what they're planning to do is, let's say, you know, sending, you know, guard from Ohio to maybe LA or San Francisco or St. Louis or other places. That is very, very interesting if they're planning on doing that, because let's, you know, a governor of one state says, yeah, you can use my guard. But wait a minute, where are they going? I don't want them to go to another state. So we have to keep an eye on that as well.

[Sarah McCammon]

And does that create jurisdictional issues?

[Tom Bowman]

You know, this is unchartered waters. Frankly, we don't know. This has never been done before, particularly on this scale.

[Rachel]

And this kind of also comes in the broader, you know, project that DHS has in terms of wanting to bring in as many reinforcements as possible into immigration enforcement. So, you know, we've reported before that they have brought in, you know, several people from treasury that work in irs, law enforcement, people from the FBI, atf, DEA that normally don't do immigration enforcement. But for the last several months have been. This is a part of bringing in additional people to help with that ICE mission. But at the same time, you're bringing in a lot of people. There's a lot of mixed coordination. One of the things that Tom has been looking into as well is what governors might also facilitate their guards for this. One of the reasons that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem came to the national stage as she mobilized her state, South Dakota's National Guard, down to Texas to help Texas construct, you know, border wall infrastructure when she was governor. And so there are some states that we might see be very willing to.

[Tom Bowman]

Help with this again. If you're looking for large numbers of people, a good place to go is a National Guard.

[Sarah McCammon]

Sure.

[Tom Bowman]

That's why they're asking for 20,000 Guard.

[Sarah McCammon]

Members, because every state has a force.

[Tom Bowman]

Right. And what DHS wants to do and the White House wants to do is have 3,000 arrests per day. That's at least triple what they have now.

[Sarah McCammon]

Okay, let's take a break. We'll have more in just a moment.

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[Jimena Bustia]

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[Sarah McCammon]

And we're back. So as these protests have been breaking out in Los Angeles, Jimena, how are officials in California responding to all this?

[Rachel]

Well, we're seeing local leadership really push back, particularly on any rationale to deploy the National Guard in this way. We've seen LA Mayor Karen Bass, you know, say that this kind of, you know, coordination to deploy the National Guard was not the right move. She says that it's an effort to, quote, sow chaos. Governor Gavin Newsom has said on social media that he has asked Trump to rescind the, quote, unlawful deployment and he has indicated that the state plans to sue the president over this.

[Sarah McCammon]

And how likely is it that this step that the president has taken of calling in the National Guard, federalizing it, essentially taking control, how likely are we to see that move beyond the state of California?

[Tom Bowman]

I think it's highly likely. Again, based on this memo we see and based on what the administration has said. Right.

[Rachel]

Yeah. I mean, we have known and this has been widely reported for months that the Department of Homeland Security wanted to tap into the Pentagon in this way. And now we're seeing that as recently as May 9, there has been active communication between the agencies about how to best do this. And so, you know, I think that just because we haven't seen it yet doesn't mean that the groundwork is clear, clearly not being laid out in order to facilitate it.

[Sarah McCammon]

And, you know, there was other major immigration news this weekend on a story we've also been following, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongfully sent to El Salvador, according to the courts, was returned to the US to face new charges. Ximena, you've been covering that case, too. Just remind us what happened to Abrego Garcia and what's happening now.

[Rachel]

So Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a man who was living in Maryland, and he was arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement earlier this year on a traffic stop. And he, within days of being arrested and detained, was deported to El Salvador on one of the planes that took, you know, hundreds of men to that notorious prison Secot. Now, this came into the limelight because he was never supposed to be deported to El Salvador. He is from El Salvador. But an immigration judge in 2019 had issued a special protection that said he could be deported, but just not to.

[Sarah McCammon]

El Salvador, where he would be in danger.

[Rachel]

Where he would be in danger. Now, this has resulted in about two months of litigation, including a Supreme Court opinion that agreed that the Trump administration needed to facilitate and return Abrego Garcia to the United States. But the administration has really put up every reason to not saying that they can't. It's not their decision. State secrets privilege have been enacted to withhold kind of that broader process.

[Sarah McCammon]

But the attorney general has announced that he is back. Now, how did we get here?

[Rachel]

On Friday, we got a bit of a surprise announcement that he was en route and had landed back in the United States. But the context of this is a little bit new. So the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pam Bondi are pursuing federal charges against him, particularly one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and then a second count of committing alien smuggling, essentially alleging that, you know, between a nine year period, he transported people without legal status between Texas and Maryland in his car. And now this indictment came down in the Middle District of Tennessee. You know, it was filed under seal about two weeks ago. And so we'll have to see how that entire process plays out in court.

[Sarah McCammon]

I mean, Ximena, what I'm trying to understand here is hadn't the Trump administration essentially said we can't get him back, but he is back? I mean, what changed in the last several weeks?

[Rachel]

So the administration is arguing that they were able to bring him back because they served El Salvador with the warrant to, like, extradite him back into the United States to be tried and serve a full sentence if he is convicted and receives a sentence, and then he will be deported after he potentially serves a sentence, depending on the outcome of that case. Depending on the outcome of that case. So that's what they're saying is what changed? I mean, there's still a lot of questions about, you know, what will happen in that case. You know, an indictment is just an indictment. It can still play out in many different ways. And we still have, you know, kind of yet to see what happens in the Maryland case as well, where they were fighting for his return.

[Sarah McCammon]

All right. We'll leave it there for today. I'm Sarah McCammon. I cover politics.

[Rachel]

I'm Jimena Bustayon. I cover immigration policy.

[Tom Bowman]

I'm Tom Bowman. I cover the Pentagon.

[Sarah McCammon]

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics podcast.

[Jimena Bustia]

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