With political and legal battles heating up over the deployment of military forces to Los Angeles to address protests condemning amped-up ICE sweeps, officials Tuesday braced themselves for a possible fifth straight day of unrest.
Overnight protests again devolved into clashes with law enforcement and looting of some downtown stores though local officials condemned the presence of National Guard and Marine forces as over the top and politically motivated.
Monday’s demonstrations featured more vandalism, violence and arrests, with some protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at law enforcement, and authorities responding with tear gas and other less-lethal munitions. Some demonstrators remained on the streets into the early hours Tuesday.
A protester walks past a bus stop covered in graffiti during an anti-ICE demonstration near Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Pedestrians walk past the boarded up T Mobile store on S. Broadway after days of violent immigration protests in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Workers remove graffiti on Los Angeles St. in Los Angeles after days of violent demonstrations on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) A boarded up T Mobile store on S. Broadway after days of violent immigration protests in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 4A protester walks past a bus stop covered in graffiti during an anti-ICE demonstration near Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) ExpandScattered protests arose elsewhere around Southern California, though most were peaceful.
A window was smashed at an Apple Store downtown during the unrest, with some items stolen and graffiti painted on the shop’s windows. An Adidas store was also hit by looters, along with a jewelry store, a pair of pharmacies, a shoe store and a marijuana dispensary. The affected stores were generally in an area on or near Broadway, near roughly Seventh and Eighth streets.
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Charles Miller told City News Service one woman was arrested at the scene of the Apple Store burglary. At least two other people were seen being taken into custody by police for looting. It was unclear exactly how many arrests were made.
Mayor Karen Bass condemned the looting, noting in a social media post that people who are vandalizing and burglarizing stores are unaffiliated with people legitimately protesting on behalf of immigrants.
“Let me be clear: Anyone who vandalized downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities,” Bass wrote. “You will be held accountable.”
In a round of broadcast media interviews Tuesday morning, Bass said police will take advantage of video footage to track down people who take part in looting and ensure they are “prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Monday was the fourth consecutive day of unrest stemming from protests over immigration enforcement raids that began Friday and have continued across the area.
Bass on Monday evening called for an end to the raids to bring an end to the nightly protests.
The mayor also called on federal officials to halt the immigration raids, blaming the White House for fueling unrest. “We need to stop the raids. They should not be happening in our city. It is not warranted, and the only thing it does is contribute to chaos. This was chaos that was started in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “And again, I don’t think our city should be a test case, a laboratory.”
Law enforcement remained on high alert. The LAPD once again issued a citywide tactical alert, which allows them to keep officers past their normal shifts if needed to respond to unrest. Several hundred additional officers were being brought in from other departments in Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. And, according to the governor, nearly 400 California Highway Patrol officers also were being sent to the area.
The protests had already raged over four nights, ignited by a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and heightened by President Donald Trump federalizing and sending in California National Guard Troops over the objections of state and local officials.
Federal officials made the unprecedented move to deploy 700 Marines from Twentynine Palms. Military officials said the Marines would “seamlessly integrate” with federalized National Guard asked with protecting federal facilities and personnel.
Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the move, describing it as “un-American” and saying Marines “shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president.” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said his agency had been given no notice of the Marines being deployed, and describing it as a “significant logistical and operational challenge.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who demanded details on his move to deploy troops to Los Angeles, and they expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full defense budget from the Trump administration.
“Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told Hegseth. Others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as President Donald Trump’s desire for a $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense system will get broad congressional scrutiny.
The troop deployment triggered several fiery exchanges that at times devolved into shouting matches as committee members and Hegseth yelled over one another.
After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million. Hegseth defended Trump’s decision to send the troops, saying they are needed to protect federal agents as they do their jobs.
And he suggested that the use of troops in the United States will continue to expand.
“I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” he said.
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing was the first time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump’s defense chief since he was confirmed. It is the first of three congressional hearings he will face this week.
Staff writers Nathan Percy, Ryan Carter, Linh Tat and Mona Darwish, the Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
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