The Take

The Take: Why did Trump deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles?

Trump deployed federal troops to Los Angeles as ICE raids sparked protests and citywide unrest.

Police officers and members of the California National Guard stand next to demonstrators outside the Edward R Roybal Federal Building during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2025 [David Swanson/Reuters]

Los Angeles has become a military zone. As citywide protests erupted following ICE raids on local immigrant communities, United States President Donald Trump sent Marines and National Guard troops into the city for the first time in decades. How is this show of force turning immigration raids into a national flashpoint?

In this episode:

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Abraham Marquez (@abemarquez3), Investigative Journalist, The Southlander

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and Tamara Khandaker, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Haleema Shah, Amy Walters, Mariana Navarrete, Kisaa Zehra, and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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