On June 7, 2025, following protests over ICE raids in Latino-majority areas of Los Angeles, Trump deployed more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines without state approval, acting under the precedent of the rarely invoked Insurrection Act, though without formally invoking it.
The troops were deployed in waves over several days, bypassing the governor’s authority, as Trump described the protests as “a form of rebellion,” marking the first federal deployment to a U.S. city without state consent since 1965.
In the aftermath, a wave of misleading visuals and false claims surfaced online, many of which were wrongly tied to the unrest.
Misbar investigated major claims amid confusion from the overwhelming flood of visuals during the Los Angeles protests.
Credible Footage Linked To Recent LA Protests Misleadingly Labeled and Taken Out of Context
Authentic images published exclusively by the San Francisco Chronicle on June 9, 2025, show National Guard troops deployed by the Trump administration sleeping on floors in Los Angeles federal buildings without basic accommodations.
However, these photos were misleadingly mislabeled and falsely linked to the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Kabul under the Biden administration, a claim amplified by inaccurate AI chatbot responses, including ChatGPT and Grok.
Additionally, an authentic 1992 video of National Guard deployment in Los Angeles under President George H.W. Bush resurfaced, often compared to Trump’s deployment.
This comparison lacks crucial context: Bush’s troops were deployed with state approval during the Rodney King riots under the Insurrection Act, whereas in 2025, Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass opposed Trump’s deployment, making the two cases constitutionally and politically distinct.
Old Videos Falsely Linked to LA Protests Are From Other Events in the U.S. and Abroad
In addition to authentic footage shared with misleading captions and context, several unrelated videos falsely claiming to show recent events in Los Angeles have circulated widely — despite originating from different places or times.
One video claimed to show National Guard troops using water cannons and tear gas against protesters in Los Angeles, captioned: “Trump sends National Guard to Los Angeles amid immigration protests, claiming state officials are ineffective.”
However, the footage actually comes from Nairobi, Kenya, recorded on June 28, 2024, during protests against a proposed tax hike.
Drone footage shared by Kenyan journalists that day shows police in fact used water cannons and tear gas.
Geolocation analysis with Google Maps and keyword searches confirm that the footage was filmed in central Nairobi.
Another video falsely claimed to show National Guard clashing with protesters in Los Angeles.
In fact, it is footage from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, confirmed by angle cross-checks showing rioters storming the Capitol after President Trump urged supporters to contest the 2020 election results.
A third video circulating online shows a Black woman being punched by a police officer; it is falsely claimed to be from recent Los Angeles protests.
Misbar's team found that the footage is from May 29, 2020, in Baltimore, Maryland, capturing a woman struck by a Baltimore police officer after she hit another officer twice during a traffic stop. She later pleaded guilty to assault charges.
A fourth video purportedly showing footage from the ongoing Los Angeles protest actually depicts fans of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).
Keyword searches for “Empire Boys” — visible on scarves and flags — led to the fan group’s Instagram, which shared the same footage from a different angle.
The video was originally posted on May 19, 2025, days before the alleged protest, showing fans gathering before a LAFC vs. LA Galaxy soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The game ended 2-2 and was unrelated to any political demonstration.
LA Protests Erupt After ICE Raids, Trump Deploys Troops Without State Consent
On June 6, 2025, mass protests erupted in Los Angeles after ICE arrested more than 100 undocumented immigrants in one day. The demonstrations quickly spread to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
On June 7, President Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops, including 700 Marines, to Los Angeles in waves without state approval, citing rebellion and law enforcement failures. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the move, saying it sends a message to “rioters, looters, and thugs” and estimated the operation would cost taxpayers at least $134 million over 60 days.
By June 10, the LAPD reported at least 378 arrests, mostly for failing to disperse.
Did Trump Have the Authority To Deploy Troops Without Local Consent?
President Trump cannot send federal troops into cities without local consent unless he invokes the Insurrection Act — a rarely used law from 1807 that allows military deployment during extreme unrest. Normally, federal forces are limited to protecting federal property under the Posse Comitatus Act (1878), which bars military involvement in “civilian law enforcement.”
While past presidents invoked the Insurrection Act with state approval — Eisenhower in 1957 for school integration, Johnson in 1965 for civil rights, and Bush in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots — Trump has not formally invoked the law but has suggested it remains an option, instead labeling protesters as “insurrectionists” to justify his deployment.
Expanded Immigration Enforcement Amid Los Angeles Protests
Since taking office, President Trump has expanded immigration enforcement to include workers, students, and tourists with visa issues. The recent ICE raids that triggered the protests were part of an intensified enforcement effort. As of June 10, the Department of Homeland Security reported more than 207,000 deportations fueled by increased ICE operations inside the U.S.
In May 2025, ICE ramped up removals, and the White House proposed a $168 billion immigration budget — up from $33 billion the previous year. The administration aims to increase ICE arrests to 3,000 daily, a significant jump from 660 in Trump’s early tenure.
In 2024, Trump told TIME he intended to target 15 million immigrants, even suggesting military involvement despite the Posse Comitatus Act’s limitations.
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