Noem defends Trump’s decision to send National Guard to Los Angeles

President Donald Trump sent 2,000 National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles to help “keep peace” as immigration protests descended into riots, and to prevent a repeat of the 2020 unrest that saw the Democratic governor of Minnesota “let his city burn,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Sunday.

Noem addressed the deployment of the National Guard during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying that Trump has the safety of the community and law enforcement officers at the top of his mind.

“President Trump is putting the safety of the communities being impacted by these riots and by these protests that have turned violent, and he’s putting the safety of our law enforcement officers first,” Noem said.

The violence comes in response to sweeping immigration raids in the Los Angeles area. Federal immigration authorities have said some of the migrants arrested last week had criminal histories that included assault and drug offenses.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that President Donald Trump has the safety of the Los Angeles community and law enforcement officers at the top of his mind. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool, File)

Noem said that Trump made the move to send in the troops because Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom “makes bad decisions” and Trump didn’t want to wait for Newsom to “get some sanity.”

Newsom has claimed that Trump is deploying the National Guard “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.”

The California governor said Saturday that the state has deployed the California Highway Patrol to keep Los Angeles highways safe, though he added, “It’s not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement.”

But Noem vowed that Trump was “not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen,” referencing riots that happened in Minneapolis at the time.

She further criticized Democrats by noting how Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota responded during riots that happened in 2020.

“Gov. Tim Walz made very bad decisions,” she said, adding that Walz tried to request the help of the National Guard after “letting his city burn for days on end.”

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Walz called for the National Guard two days after the riots began in 2020, a point that was highlighted last year after former Vice President Kamala Harris tapped him as her running mate during her failed presidential run against Trump.

U.S. National Guard are deployed around downtown Los Angeles on Sunday 2025 following an immigration raid protest the night before. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Noem described the 2,000 National Guard soldiers as being specifically trained for “this type of crowd situation,” where they will provide safety around buildings, to those engaged in peaceful protests and law enforcement.

Noem said the National Guard will help with security in some areas, though she would not speak to the exact locations that the troops will be deployed to or to specific security operations.

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“They’re there at the direction of the president in order to keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order,” she said of the National Guard. “That is incredibly important to the president.”