Monday, 25 May 2026
National Guard members keep watch outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2025.
Trump keeps National Guard in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump can keep his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, according to a court ruling, as protests against immigration raids look set to enter their second week in the strongest backlash since his return to power in January.
Trump on Friday welcomed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that temporarily paused a lower court ruling that blocked the mobilization, although it does not mean that the court will ultimately agree to side with him.
"We saved L.A. Thank you for the Decision!!!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Cities across the United States were bracing for more demonstrations especially on Saturday, when those also opposed to a weekend military parade in Washington marking the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary are expected to take to the streets.
"They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services," the group No Kings, which is behind the day of action, wrote on its website.
A battalion of 700 U.S. Marines was expected to arrive later on Friday in Los Angeles, marking an extraordinary use of military forces to support civilian police operations within the United States.
Troops have stood guard at a federal detention center in the city's downtown where many of the protests have taken place in a show of solidarity for immigrants detained inside.
The protests so far have been mostly peaceful, punctuated by incidents of violence, and restricted to a few city blocks.
Demonstrations have also taken place in other U.S. cities this week including New York and Chicago.