Los Angeles fights against immigration by detaining protesters using zip ties and loading them onto buses as Marines arrive

Last night, Los Angeles seemed to regain authority over the city as numerous protesters were captured and loaded onto police buses while hundreds of Marines and additional National Guard reinforcements were en route.

Dramatic videos depicted rioters, who had paralyzed Downtown LA for four consecutive days, being restrained and placed on LAPD buses in large numbers, signaling authorities’ efforts to quell the ongoing chaos and devastation.

Meanwhile, a group of armed Marines were also heading toward Los Angeles following directives from President Donald Trump to restore order within the city.

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the deployment of 700 active Marines into the riot-torn neighborhoods, as well as an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to support the 2,000 boots already on the ground.

California Governor Gavin Newsom insisted the troops would escalate the violence and branded the move a ‘blatant abuse of power’ – vowing to sue the administration to top the Marines in their tracks.

Trump warned LA would be ‘obliterated’ without him after rioters opposing the president’s immigration crackdown set cars alight, looted businesses and brought major highways to a standstill. 

The fightback began in Little Tokyo on Monday night when protesters were finally arrested after officers had told demonstrators that the area was under an unlawful assembly order and urged them to disperse and head home. 

Authorities kettled those who didn’t comply with the order into a confined area, encircling them as the buses pulled up before declaring they were all under arrest. 

The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested busloads full of protesters in an effort to regain control of lawless rioters and assert their authority

The show of force comes as 700 Marines are on their way to Los Angeles along with 2,000 more National Guard troops 

Officers had told demonstrators earlier in the evening that the area was under an unlawful assembly order and warned them to either disperse and head home, or risk arrest

Trump supporters claimed the LAPD’s increased show of force on Monday only came about because of the president’s threats to seize control of the law enforcement effort.

Newsom, however, claimed the additional 800 police officers that were called in from nearby counties and even members of the California Highway Patrol were required to ‘clean up President Trump’s mess.’

The riots had spread to San Francisco by Sunday afternoon and by Monday there were smaller pockets of protests across LA. Around the nation from New York to Texas, demonstrators marched in solidarity.

Harrowing scenes overnight saw demonstrators torch cars, attack authorities with fireworks, bricks of cement and tear gas while destroying infrastructure – even as state officials tried to maintain the 6,000 protests were primarily peaceful.

Police have resorted to firing rubber bullets into crowds in an effort to quell the violence, which first kicked off on Friday on the back of a series of coordinated ICE raids across the city.

Protesters were using trash cans as protective shields on Monday evening as officers fired concussive devices and tear gas in the air at one of the protest scenes.

Across California more than 200 arrests had been made by Sunday, and by Monday Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed the Department of Justice had opened nine investigations into demonstrators.

One protester who was filmed hurling cinder blocks at law enforcement vehicles during the anti-ICE riots was of particular interest to authorities, who announced he had been identified and added to the America’s most wanted list. 

Extraordinary footage on Monday night captured the moment protesters with their hands ziptied behind their backs were led onto white LAPD buses and driven from the scene of a protest in Little Tokyo

Pictured: A protester waves a combination Mexican-US flag in front of police in riot gear

An additional 800 law enforcement officers from nearby counties and even the California Highway Patrol were pulled in to help the LAPD and ‘clean up President Trump’s mess,’ Newsom said

Bondi revealed on Fox that the suspect was named as Elpidio Reyna.

‘That guy has just been identified, and they are doing a search warrant on his house as we speak,’ Bondi said. 

The FBI has accused the 40-year-old Reyna – who lives in Compton – of injuring a federal officer after throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles.

As tensions flared, two security guards working for CNN were among those briefly detained, but they were released without charge, the network said.

Hegseth’s decision to deploy the Marines on Monday sparked mass criticism, but he insisted: ‘We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers – even if Gavin Newsom will not.’

These troops are tasked with defending federal assets and personnel, including the federal immigration agents at the center of the conflict. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the National Guard deployment ‘unlawful’ and said it ‘trampled’ on the state’s sovereignty. Bonta sued the Trump administration Monday in response. 

This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.

The protesters were ziptied before being led onto the buses

Their arrival comes as Downtown Los Angeles braces for a fourth night of riots as pro-migrant protesters take to the streets to rail against federal immigration agents and President Donald Trump ‘s ambitious deportation agenda

These troops are tasked with defending federal assets and personnel, including the federal immigration agents at the center of the conflict

Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is ‘a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.’

But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass argued the state of California is instead being used ‘as an experiment’ by the Trump administration seeking to test the limits of its power.

‘These are not the people we were told were going to be detained, and it makes me feel like our city is actually a test case,’ she said. 

‘A test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government.’ 

She said ICE agents had struck fear through the hearts of hardworking Angelenos, who are now constantly nervous about the next raids.

‘I can’t emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now, not knowing if tomorrow or tonight it might be where they live, it might be their workplace, should you send your kids to school, should you go to work,’ she said. 

Newsom said on X he had been informed of the decision. He called the move reckless and ‘disrespectful to our troops.’

‘This isn’t about public safety. It´s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,’ Newsom said.

Protesters wave combination US-Mexican flags and hold signs as they gather the street during a protest in response to federal immigration operation

Harrowing scenes over the weekend saw demonstrators torch cars, attack authorities with fireworks, bricks of cement and tear gas and destroy infrastructure – even as state officials tried to maintain the protests were primarily peaceful

The protests have now stretched into a fourth night in Los Angeles

But both Trump and the Pentagon responded to Newsom with a greater show of force on Monday with the additional deployments.

The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, Northern Command said.

These Marines are highly trained in combat and crisis response, with time in conflict zones like Syria and Afghanistan. 

Now, they’ll be facing furious protesters – carrying gas canisters or other makeshift weapons in some instances – and have to quickly decide how to respond with an appropriate show of force.

At least three buildings have been broken into and vandalized, according to LAPD chief Jim McDonnell, with ‘significant damage and broken windows.’

He has placed his city on a ‘tactical alert’, meaning LAPD officers can be mobilized and reallocated quickly to respond to incidents as they arise.

The violent protests have sparked mass road closures and sweeping ‘unlawful assembly’ orders across the entirety of Downtown LA. 

McDonnell weighed in on the decision to mobilize Marines and the National Guard, raising concerns that ‘without direct coordination [they] create logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents.’ 

Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at Trump as the violence escalated, accusing him of inflaming tensions by sending in the National Guard and insisting the crisis would be better handled by state authorities

The FBI has accused the 40-year-old Elpidio Reyna – who lives in Compton – of injuring a federal officer after throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles

According to a US official, troops will be armed with their normal service weapons but will not be carrying tear gas. They also will have protective equipment such as helmets, shields and gas masks.

The Pentagon is working on a memo with clarifying language for the Marines that will lay out the steps they can take to protect federal personnel and property.

Those guidelines also will include specifics on the possibility that they could temporarily detain civilians if troops are under assault or to prevent harm.

Having the Marines deploy to protect federal buildings allows them to be used without invoking the Insurrection Act, one US official said.

The Insurrection Act allows the president to direct federal troops to conduct law enforcement functions in national emergencies. But the use of that act is extremely rare. Officials said that has not yet been done in this case and that it’s not clear it will be done.

President George H.W. Bush used the Insurrection Act to respond to riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of white police officers who were videotaped beating Black motorist Rodney King.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted late Saturday that he was considering deploying the Marines to respond to the unrest. 

The protests reached a crescendo with the streets of LA overrun by violence on Sunday night and into Monday

Bondi compared the streets of LA to a third-world country on Monday night, expressing disdain for protesters and warning any violence will be prosecuted. 

‘We can prosecute federally people who assault state law enforcement officers and we are going to do it, we are going to prosecute them federally,’ she said. 

‘Look at it out there, it looks like a third world country. And it’s not, it’s the United States of America.’ 

On Monday, the LAPD arrived at the Federal Building to disperse a group of protesters who had gathered there.

Officers were seen in riot gear and wielding batons and rubber bullets, giving a large, agitated mob of protesters five minutes to evacuate from the area.

One protester shouted ‘we’re fighting to die’ as cops set off flash bangs and deployed tear gas.

The rioting is still ongoing in San Francisco as well after the violence spread on Sunday. 

While horrifying scenes and stories of violence emerged from Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, officers actually made more arrests in San Francisco, with 154 taken into custody compared to the 74 people picked up in LA.