AP - Ground Game - By Meg Kinnard - June 09 , 2025 - In California, where demonstrations over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown led to the deployment of National Guard troops

 

By Meg Kinnard June 09, 2025

It’s been a tumultuous weekend in California, where demonstrations over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown led to the deployment of National Guard troops – over objections from local and state officials – and then further clashes between protesters and officers.     Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.  Policy changes, but facts endure. AP delivers accurate, fact-based journalism to keep the world informed in every administration. Support independent reporting today. Donate. THE HEADLINES Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Los Angeles protests intensify after Trump deploys National Guard  Trump says he authorized deployment of 2,000 guard members, and his Saturday directive invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”    Protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton. As federal agents set up a staging area Saturday in Paramount, demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.     On Sunday, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at hundreds gathered outside Los Angeles' Metropolitan Detention Center. Protesters directed chants of “shame” and “go home” at guard members, who stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields. Tensions were high after a Friday series of sweeps by immigration authorities, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed above 100.    Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked Trump to remove the guard members. Trump has said the National Guard was necessary because Newsom and other Democrats have failed to stanch recent protests targeting immigration agents. Read more.

Of note: It appears to have been decades since a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the last such time was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect an Alabama civil rights march.

Related reads ➤  After tear gas and street fires, an Los Angeles community cleans up as National Guard troops arrive  Trump’s new travel ban set to take effect amid escalating tension over immigration enforcement  ADVERTISEMENT FBI heightens focus on violent crime and illegal immigration  Director Kash Patel’s presence at major announcements about MS-13 gang cases and the seizure of $520 million in illegal U.S.-bound narcotics has been intended to signal the premium the FBI is placing on combating violent crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Current and former law enforcement officials say it reflects a rethinking of priorities and mission at a time when the country is also confronting increasingly sophisticated national security threats from abroad.    A revised FBI priority list on its website places “Crush Violent Crime” at the top, bringing the bureau into alignment with the vision Trump, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration, cartels and transnational gangs a cornerstone of his administration. Patel has said he wants to “get back to the basics.” His deputy, Dan Bongino, says the FBI is returning to “its roots.”     Patel says the FBI remains focused on some of the same concerns, including China, that have dominated headlines in recent years, and the bureau said in a statement that its commitment to investigating international and domestic terrorism has not changed. But there have been signs of restructuring, like the disbanding of an FBI-led task force on foreign influence, as well as moves to dissolve a key public corruption squad. Read more.

Of note: The Trump administration has also proposed steep budget cuts for the FBI, and there’s been significant turnover in leadership ranks as some veteran agents with years of experience have been pushed from their positions.

Related reads ➤  The 911 presidency: Trump flexes emergency powers in his second term  Mike Johnson downplays Musk’s influence and says Republicans will pass Trump’s tax and budget bill  Democrats draw closer to crypto industry despite Trump divisions  As Trump builds a crypto empire — including hosting a private dinner with top investors at his golf club — Democrats have united in condemning what they call blatant corruption from the White House. But the Democratic Party’s own relationship with the emerging crypto industry is far less cut and dry.    Work in the Republican-led Senate to legitimize cryptocurrency by adding guardrails has drawn backing from some Democrats, underscoring growing support for the industry in the party. But divisions have opened over the bill, with many demanding that it prevent the president and his family from directly profiting from cryptocurrency. Read More.

Of note: Crypto industry clout was on display in the 2024 election, in which crypto super PAC Fairshake and its affiliated PACs spent over $130 million in congressional races. That included $40 million supporting Republican Bernie Moreno in Ohio in a successful effort to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown — seen as a chief critic of the industry as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee — and $10 million in support of Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who spoke in favor of crypto on the campaign trail, in Senate win over Republican Mike Rogers.

Related reads ➤  A Virginia Democrat hunts for votes in rural pockets where MAGA has strengthened its grip  It’s the economy, estúpido: New Jersey governor’s race tests Democrats’ efforts to win back Latinos  ADVERTISEMENT IN PHOTOS President Donald Trump attends the UFC 316 mixed martial arts event Saturday, June 7, 2025 in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)  ON THE CALENDAR Trump returns to the White House from Camp David on Monday and participates in an Invest America roundtable. On Saturday, he turns 79 years old and observes a military parade in Washington, set to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.  2025 COUNTDOWN OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON South Dakota spending: State on track to spend $2 billion on prisons in the next decade  American Samoa: US territory’s colonial history emerges in state disputes over voting and citizenship  ADVERTISEMENT

That’s all from me for the day, thanks for reading Ground Game. Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. - Meg