LOS ANGELES − Police on Monday were urging businesses and residents to report any "vandalism, damage or looting" for documentation after protests against Trump administration policiesdeteriorated into destructive clashesbetween officers and protesters. Authorities declared several of the demonstrations Sunday "unlawful assemblies," sweeping in with flash-bangs and tear gas grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters. Somevehicles were set ablaze, protesters blocked the 101 Freeway, and a group of them converged on an overpass and threw objects down at police, video footage showed. Police in riot gear were joined by hundreds of California National Guard troops ordered into action by President Donald Trump. Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Trump to withdraw the Guard and said the state would file suit against the administration. In an overnightsocial media post, Newsom urged Trump to "stop fanning the flames" after a third day of protests. "Let's get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn't need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded," Newsom wrote. "4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess." Trump, in asocial media postSunday night, said Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass should "apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists." More:National Guard deployed in Los Angeles during protest clashes A California sheriff running for governor isn't pleased with former Vice PresidentKamala Harris' reaction to the explosive protests. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in aJune 8 post on Xthat Trump is "not out there lighting cars on fire, hurling projectiles at law enforcement or blocking freeways," The sheriff, whose county is just north of San Diego and the fourth-most populous county in the state, was responding to Harris' earlier statement where she said the deployment of the National Guard was "meant to provoke chaos." Harris, who is mulling a bid for California governor next year, put much of theblame on the Trump administration's ICE raidsand a "cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division." Bianco, who is also running for governor in 2026, is a long-standing Trump supporter who gained a bit of attention in 2021 forvowing not to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandatesin his office. He said Sunday the former VP's comments were "an embarrassment." "The Democrats and their 'leaders' own this," Bianco added. — Phillip M. Bailey Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia, who co-founded the group Latinas for Trump, criticized his administration's recent immigration enforcement actions as "unacceptable and inhumane"in a post on X.Her remarks come as federal agents have arrested immigrants in courthouses across the U.S., including Florida, stripping them of due process protections, asNBC News reported. "I understand the importance of deporting criminal aliens, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complying with their immigration hearings − in many cases, with credible fear of persecution claims − all driven by a Miller-like desire to satisfy a self-fabricated deportation goal," shewrote in her post,referring to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. She said she stands with Florida Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar, whowrote in a statement June 6that "anyone with a pending asylum case, status-adjustment petition, or similar claim deserves to go through the legal process." — Sudiksha Kochi Trump border czarTom Homanon Monday denied ever calling for the arrest of Newsom. Homan toldFox Newsthat he was asked if Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could be arrested and Homan responded that, if they commit a crime, they could be arrested. "There was no discussion about arresting Newsom," Homan said. Newsom had addressed the issueon social media, saying that "Trump's border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out. Come and get me, tough guy. I don't give a damn. It won't stop me from standing up for California." LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called the outbreak of violence "disgusting" and said it had grown worse Saturday. He said he does not believe the same people who were genuinely protesting immigration policy were involved in the violence. Newsom warned that violent protesters would be arrested and prosecuted. He also kept up his social media attack on Trump, saying California "didn't have a problem until Trump got involved" and that unrest is "exactly" what Trump wanted. "He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard," Newsom wrote in a post Monday. "The order he signed doesn't just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We're suing him." At 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, authorities declared the protest to be an unlawful assembly and moved in aggressively with flash-bangs and tear gas grenades. That sent hundreds of people running, their eyes streaming with tears. Helicopters clattered overhead as protesters fled the area to the honking of car horns and periodic cheers. According to preliminary information, police said at least 10 people have been arrested and three officers were injured during protests on Sunday. California Highway Patrol arrested 17 people on the 101 Freeway, police said. On Saturday, police arrested 29 people. The protests began Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps in the area resulted in more than 40 arrests. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, defended the raids and said those arrested by ICE included a Vietnamese man convicted of second-degree murder, an Ecuadoran man convicted of possession of five kilograms of cocaine, and a Filipino man convicted of sexual offenses. "These rioters in Los Angeles are fighting to keep rapists, murderers and other violent criminals loose on Los Angeles streets," McLaughlin said in a statement. "Instead of rioting, they should be thanking ICE officers every single day who wake up and make our communities safer." Protests against immigration enforcement policies were not limited to the Los Angeles area. In San Francisco, a demonstration that drew hundreds ended with violence and about 60 arrests, police said. "Individuals in the group became violent and began to commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage," San Francisco police said in astatement. An unlawful assembly was declared and many left the scene while others vandalized buildings and police cars. Two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries. "Individuals are always free to exercise their First Amendment rights in San Francisco but violence especially against SFPD officers - will never be tolerated," the statement said. Videos show Waymo cars on fireamid LA protests; service reportedly suspended Photos and videos showseveral Waymo self-driving cars being torchedduring the protests. TheLAPD saidone street had been closed indefinitely after "multiple autonomous vehicles" had been set on fire. Footage shared on social media captured several of Waymo driverless taxis engulfed in flames in the June 8 protests. Others were vandalized with messages against Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, videos show. Waymo suspended service in downtown Los Angeles and "will not be serving any rides in the protest area until it is deemed safe," a company spokesperson toldNBC News. −Melina Khan This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:California challenges Trump on National Guard deployment: Live updates
