LOS ANGELES, CA — The Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Southern California in response to recent immigration protests has sparked sharp backlash from civil rights groups and state officials. The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) denounced the move as a “militarized crackdown” that violates constitutional rights and endangers lives.
Over the past week, protests have erupted across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire in response to a series of aggressive raids recently carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to CAIR-CA.
CAIR-CA and eyewitnesses report that more than 200 individuals—many of whom are undocumented—have been detained in and around a downtown Los Angeles courthouse and surrounding neighborhoods. Several individuals were reportedly targeted while attending immigration hearings or walking through public spaces, fueling public outrage.
In a statement Wednesday, CAIR-CA issued a forceful condemnation of Trump’s orders, calling the administration’s actions a “reckless abuse of power” that threaten immigrant communities and undermine the U.S. Constitution. The group specifically criticized the use of federal troops in response to peaceful demonstrations.
“The rights of every American, and every immigrant living in this country, must be protected without exception,” CAIR said in the statement.
CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush described the federal response as a “dangerous escalation,” denouncing the broader political motives behind it.
“These aggressive and unjust actions by federal and local agencies are part of a deeply disturbing pattern of repression aimed at immigrants, communities of color, and those engaged in constitutionally protected dissent,” Ayloush said. “Deploying military forces against civilians is a dangerous escalation and a shameful use of federal power to silence public outcry and suppress basic human rights.”
Speaking on behalf of CAIR-CA, Ayloush expressed “unwavering solidarity” with Latino immigrant communities, whom he said are being subjected to ICE raids and denied their right to due process.
Ayloush also drew connections between domestic repression and U.S. foreign policy, accusing the United States of perpetuating “global instability” by “funding foreign military occupations and militarizing domestic policing.” Such policies, he said, create violent conditions for communities already facing systemic injustice.
These latest detentions come just days after the Trump administration expanded its travel ban to include 19 additional countries—many of them predominantly Muslim—according to CBS News. The policy, which took effect Monday, now fully bans the entry of foreigners from a dozen nations.
According to CAIR-CA, these “back-to-back attacks” on immigrants, both within the U.S. and abroad, reflect a broader strategy by the administration to target racialized communities and criminalize migration.
Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area office (CAIR-SFBA), underscored the link between domestic repression and U.S. foreign aggression, warning of a longstanding American tradition of violent responses to racial justice movements.
“From Gaza to California, we are witnessing a government willing to use force to silence truth, criminalize solidarity, and punish the most vulnerable. The militarized crackdown on immigrants and protesters in our state is not about safety—it is about control. Deploying troops to suppress dissent echoes a long and violent history in this country of targeting Black, Brown, and Indigenous movements for justice,” Billoo said.
In response, CAIR-CA’s Los Angeles office joined other civil rights and immigrant-serving organizations at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday to protest both the expanded travel ban and the ICE raids.
CAIR-SFBA, alongside elected officials and community advocates, also gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall for a press conference condemning the administration’s immigration policies and the use of military force to control civilians.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly condemned the federal deployment, stating that the presence of troops in California undermines both state authority and civil liberties. He has called on elected officials, community leaders, and institutions to oppose what he described as “militarized repression,” according to CAIR-CA.
In response to the crisis, CAIR-CA has launched legal defense and public education initiatives in impacted communities. The organization is distributing Know Your Rights materials and offering legal assistance. It is urging residents affected by ICE raids or the presence of military personnel to contact its offices for support and to report abuses.
As protests continue across California, CAIR-CA and its partner organizations say they will persist in challenging what they view as a dangerous violation of civil liberties—while emphasizing that the struggle for immigrant justice is, at its core, a demand for safety, dignity, and liberation.
