Over the weekend, tensions between Donald Trump and California, the world’s 4th largest economy, have come to a head. On Friday, reports came out that the Trump admin was mulling over the cancellation of federal funding for the University of California and California State University systems. These cuts, which would affect schools like UCLA and San Diego State University, would be due to the school’s “antisemitism” according to sources at CNN. The Trump admin has done similar moves with other schools such as Harvard and are facing lawsuits as a result. Universities in the UC and CSU systems are public however, so they may be more susceptible to the federal action on speech and civil rights than a private university like Harvard would be. The UC system itself is California’s 3rd largest employer and conducts 8% of all academic research in the country. The Trump admin has already frozen funding to the UC system, among others in California. And while lawsuits are already underway for those particular cuts, this could continue to freeze funds for months longer. Gavin Newsom and other California democrats have floated the idea of withholding California’s federal taxes, but logistically this may be impossible so don’t count on it. It’s important to note that this round of cuts has not been officially announced by the Trump administration, but after the events that followed it may be inevitable.
Beginning at 9:15 am on Friday, ICE began conducting raids across Los Angeles. Between the Los Angeles Fashion District, a Home Depot parking lot, and a clothing store they arrested anywhere from 40 to 100 immigrants, but the large raids would not go unnoticed. Demonstrators began to gather at several locations in the afternoon; the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A, a Home Depot in the Westlake District, and at an “Ambiance Apparel” in the fashion district as well. At the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants were being held overnight, hundreds of protestors gathered peacefully according to multiple outlets, until roughly 7:00pm when LAPD declared an unlawful assembly and used riot gear to disperse the crowd. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement condemning the immigration raids, saying, "these tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city” as did Governor Gavin Newsom. “Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel.”
On June 7th, things didn't get better. In Paramount, things began to boil over as demonstrators confronted DHS officers near a Home Depot, drawing a crowd of roughly 1,000. Federal agents responded with flash-bang grenades and pepper balls after protesters blocked roads. At least two people were injured. Law enforcement issued a dispersal order by mid-afternoon. Tear gas was deployed, and one ICE agent was injured by a thrown rock going through a windshield (probably the one shown in the link above). A car was later set on fire, along with American flags according to reports.
Federal agents fire flash-bang smoke grenades at protestors near a Home
Depot after a raid was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) in Paramount, California, USA, 07 June 2025
Demonstrations intensified downtown as protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, prompting police to establish a skirmish line. By nightfall, the protests had spread to Compton, where demonstrators threw bottles containing a substance that smelled like gasoline. Earlier, two individuals were arrested on suspicion of assaulting policemen. One had allegedly thrown a Molotov cocktail, which caused minor injuries to three sheriff’s deputies.
Later that day, in an evening interview on Fox News, White House official and “border czar” Tom Homan announced that the National Guard would be deployed to Los Angeles. Later that night, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum ordering 2,000 members of the California National Guard into the city. Invoking 10 U.S.C. § 12406, Trump bypassed the usual requirement for state approval—marking the first time a president had deployed a state’s National Guard without gubernatorial consent since the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Gavin Newsom would state his intent to sue the Trump administration over this move on Sunday. He has criticized the move as “needlessly inflammatory” and it “would only escalate tensions” while at the same time urging protests to remain peaceful. Trump would also state the protests were started by “paid instigators” and declare a mask ban at protests on Truth Social later Saturday night.
On Sunday, Roughly 300 National Guard troops were stationed at federal sites throughout the city, with 500 Marines on standby at Twentynine Palms, under orders from Pete Hegseth. Outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, federal forces used smoke and pepper spray to clear protestors and secure access for DHS and Border Patrol vehicles. By mid-afternoon, LAPD issued a tactical alert. Police authorized less-lethal munitions and labeled the gathering an unlawful assembly. Multiple arrests occurred near the Civic Center, and two officers were injured when motorcyclists broke through a skirmish line.
Tensions escalated further when protesters blocked the US 101 freeway, prompting a full closure. In the chaos, several Waymo driverless vehicles were vandalized and torched. That evening, the LAPD declared Downtown Los Angeles an unlawful assembly zone, urging the public to leave the area immediately. At a Sunday evening press conference, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell reported a total of 39 arrests tied to the protests—29 on Saturday and 10 more on Sunday—as the weekend came to a close. Not to be outdone, San Francisco had its own protests and SFPD announced 60 arrests were made Sunday night.
Protesters and police clash during a protest in opposition to federal
deportation operations near an ICE facility in San Francisco on
Sunday.Credit...Loren Elliott for The New York Times
This is an overview of an ongoing story, and therefore is not complete. Journalists have been caught in the fray, a union leader arrested, and uncertainty over whether or not the protests will continue persists. One thing is for certain, we’ve definitely got the worst guy for the job. Click here for updates from NBC News, and thanks for reading.