The Guard Is Here: Los Angeles, Title 10, and the New Face of Domestic Power
What happened in L.A. won’t stay in L.A. Get ready.
In February I wrote that federalizing state forces was the next logical step. Forty-eight hours ago, it happened.
If you have only five minutes, start here. These four actions distill the Mutual-Aid, Digital-Hygiene, and Safety-Net chapters of earlier playbooks for the on-the-ground reality now unfolding in Los Angeles and likely coming to other cities.
1. Know and rehearse your rights. ICE needs a warrant signed by a judge to enter a home; most agents carry only administrative forms.
Quick Start: Download CHIRLA’s bilingual “No Warrant, No Entry” placard, print it, and tape it by your door tonight.
2. Lock down your devices before protests. Phones are seized; cloud data is easy to subpoena. A locked-down handset can’t be searched on the spot.
Quick Start: Disable Face ID/Touch ID, switch to a six-digit passcode, install Signal (or Session), and set messages to auto-delete after 24 hours.
3. Build a five-person rapid-response pod. In a raid you’ll need legal help, childcare, transport, comms, and bail within minutes. Pre-assign those roles now.
Quick Start: Text five trusted contacts: “Will you take [role] if I’m detained?” Fill any gaps before bed and keep a hard-copy contact sheet.
4. Document safely and publish redundantly. Footage disappears fast either confiscated or throttled by platforms. Redundant uploads keep the record alive.
Quick Start: Install an auto-upload app (Proton Drive, Tella). Film landscape, state the date/time aloud, and let the app push the file off-device in real time.
48 Hours in Los Angeles (June 6 – 8, 2025)
Friday, June 6
Pre-dawn ICE sweeps hit a garment factory in the Fashion District, a Westlake Home Depot, and other day-labor hot-spots. At least 44 people were taken into custody on immigration charges before noon.
Crowds gathered within hours; LAPD blocked traffic as protesters confronted agents trying to leave downtown. By sundown, chants of “ICE out of L.A.” echoed outside the Metropolitan Detention Center
Saturday, June 7
ICE confirmed the week’s total at 118 arrests and signaled operations would continue “indefinitely.”
A tense standoff in Paramount: residents and activists tried to block a DHS convoy; federal officers answered with tear gas and pepper balls.
SEIU-California president David Huerta was tackled and arrested while filming a raid, galvanizing labor unions and civil-rights groups.
Nightfall saw scattered vandalism downtown, slashed tires on unmarked ICE SUVs and a car fire in Compton, as LAPD declared an unlawful assembly.
Sunday, June 8
Citing “insurrection,” Trump federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops under Title 10 authority, the first no-consent Guard activation in nearly sixty years.
Governor Gavin Newsom called the move “unlawful” and demanded a withdrawal; Mayor Karen Bass insisted the city was “not out of control” and reaffirmed that LAPD will not aid deportations.
Guard soldiers arrived by mid-afternoon, fortifying federal buildings. Protesters shut down the 101 Freeway for nearly two hours; three vandalized Waymo robotaxis burned in Little Tokyo before LAFD cleared the scene.
Sunday-night skirmishes pushed the weekend total to 50-plus protesters arrested, LAPD confirmed.
Pentagon says ~300 Guard soldiers were on the ground by Sunday night, with the balance of the 2,000-troop order ‘staggering in through Tuesday.’
Rep. Nanette Barragán relayed that ICE plans daily raids across L.A. County for at least the next 30 days.
Why it’s a Rubicon moment
Federal power vs. state sovereignty: Unilateral Guard activation bypasses the governor, normalizing a tool historically reserved for civil-rights showdowns and war-time insurrections.
Spectacle-to-crackdown pipeline: Highly visible raids → predictable community resistance → military framing of dissent as “insurrection” → justification for troops on city streets.
Blueprint for export: If this playbook sticks in the nation’s second-largest city, expect similar deployments in other sanctuary jurisdictions during the election cycle.
Outside of L.A.: The Multi-City Script
Minneapolis (June 3): DHS camo raid on Mexican restaurant; crowd forces agents to withdraw.
NYC (June 6): 22 arrests at Federal Plaza after ICE seizes Queens high-schooler during hearing.
Paramount (June 7): Tear gas and fireworks as residents block DHS convoy; one car torched.
San Antonio (June 8): 300 rally over week-long courthouse pickups; 3-year-old seen loaded onto DHS bus.
Chicago (June 9): Hundreds march in Pilsen after trio detained; Gov. Pritzker criticizes Guard deployment.
The Authoritarian Playbook in Real Time
Los Angeles is no longer just a local story; it is the first live-fire test of tactics we mapped months ago in The Military Collapse and First-Amendment Collapse playbooks. Four dynamics to watch:
1. Federal power without state consent. By federalizing California’s Guard under Title 10, the White House leap-frogged Governor Newsom and rewrote the chain of command on the fly, something last seen in the civil-rights showdowns of the 1960s. That precedent now sits on the shelf for any future protest the administration wants to brand a “rebellion.”
2. Manufacture the spectacle, then police the spectacle. Highly visible Friday raids (44 detained) were guaranteed to draw cameras and fury; Saturday’s escalation (118 detained, 50+ protestors arrested) delivered the images of chaos that federal officials used to justify troops on Sunday. The cycle: create panic → label dissent “insurrection” → deploy force, is the same storyboard I flagged in March.
3. Blueprint for sanctuary crackdowns nationwide. If unilateral Guard deployment silences resistance in the nation’s second-largest city, expect copy-paste operations in Chicago, Denver, New York, and any jurisdiction refusing to aid mass deportations. DHS spokespeople are already hinting at “daily raids” for the next month.
4. Chilling speech by criminalizing observation. The arrest of SEIU-California president David Huerta while he filmed a raid shows the targeting is not limited to undocumented people; it extends to U.S. citizens who bear witness. That strikes at the First Amendment core: if documenting state action becomes “obstruction,” transparency dies in the dark. DHS’s Sunday press release now labels L.A. demonstrators “violent rioters” and urges “Democrat politicians to tone down their dangerous rhetoric about ICE,” sharpening the free-speech chill.
Bottom line: L.A. is the proof-of-concept for merging immigration policing with military optics. Everything I warned about—federalized guard, shock-and-awe raids, narrative inversion—is playing out on a compressed timeline. The next sections of this guide will drill into practical defenses: building rapid-response pods, digital hardening, and safe documentation, so your community isn’t caught flat-footed when the spotlight moves.
Where Could This Flare Next?
Chicago & Cook County – Strong sanctuary stance + high ICE activity = ripe for federal “law-and-order” framing.
Denver/Aurora – 2,000-strong march last winter; Guard units nearby at Buckley SFB.
Seattle/Tacoma – Northwest ICE Processing Center already tense; protests regularly block detainee transfers.
Four Ways to Protect Yourself (Detailed Tactics)
Below are the actionable steps I recommend every reader take—starting tonight. Each tactic is broken into (a) why it matters, (b) how to do it, and (c) a Quick-Start that can be completed in ten minutes or less.
1. Know and rehearse your rights
Why it matters: In every city that’s faced raids, confusion at the door is ICE’s best friend. Agents often arrive with administrative forms (I-200/I-205) that look official but are not signed by a judge. If you or a neighbor opens up voluntarily, all other defenses crumble.
How to do it: Post a “No Warrant, No Entry” sign near eye level outside your front door in English and Spanish. Practice a simple script with everyone in the home: “I do not consent to a search. Please slide the warrant under the door.” If they don’t have one, you stay silent and record through the peephole.
Quick-Start: Download CHIRLA’s bilingual rights placard, print two copies, tape one by the door and keep the other in your purse or wallet for when you visit friends or family.
2. Lock down your devices before any protest or raid watch
Why it matters: Phones are the first thing seized and the fastest route to deeper surveillance. Facial recognition and fingerprint unlock betray you under pressure; cloud-synced photos retain GPS data; open message histories can be subpoenaed within hours.
How to do it:
Disable Face ID/Touch ID (settings → passcode → turn off biometrics).
Switch to a six-digit or longer passcode.
Install an end-to-end encrypted messenger (Signal, Session) and set disappearing messages to auto-delete after 24 hours.
Turn off automatic photo backups to Google Photos/iCloud before taking protest footage. Re-enable only after you’ve scrubbed metadata.
Quick-Start: Spend five minutes tonight turning off biometrics and installing Signal; set a 24-hour disappearing-message timer for all new chats.
3. Build a five-person rapid-response pod
Why it matters: When raids hit, minutes matter. Legal counsel, child pickup, transport, comms, and bail money each require a dedicated point person. If you wait to organize until someone is already detained, you’re playing catch-up.
How to do it:
Brainstorm five trusted contacts and assign roles: Legal, Childcare, Transport, Comms Coordinator, Bail Fund Lead.
Exchange non-cell contact info (landline or work phone) plus one physical address each.
Hold a ten-minute “tabletop drill” on speakerphone: walk through who calls whom if you’re picked up at 7 AM.
Quick-Start: Text five people right now: “Will you cover [role] if I’m detained? I’ll cover yours.” Draft a one-page contact sheet and print two copies: one by the front door, one hidden in your go-bag.
4. Document safely and publish redundantly
Why it matters: Video is the strongest shield against abuse, but only if it survives. Officers can delete footage on seized phones; social platforms throttle “violent content.” Immediate, redundant upload is your insurance policy.
How to do it:
Install an auto-upload tool (Proton Drive, Tella, or the built-in “Save to Files” shortcut on iOS).
Film landscape, keep a steady shot, and state the date, time, and location aloud in the first ten seconds so metadata is embedded in audio as well.
After recording, verify the video has synced to an off-device location; share a view-only link with your pod’s Comms Coordinator.
Quick-Start: Install Proton Drive tonight, create a folder called “Field Footage 2025,” enable auto-upload, and run a 15-second test clip to confirm it lands in the cloud.
Rapid-Response Resources
Nationwide raid-watch hotlines: United We Dream (1-844-363-1423), Raids Response NYC (1-800-566-7636).
Digital-security crash course: Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Surveillance Self-Defense.
Bail & legal funds directory: National Bail Fund Network – filter by state.
What Comes Next — Legal, Political, and Community Fronts
Legal challenges are already moving.
California files Monday. Newsom’s complaint, expected on the docket Monday morning in U.S. District Court, Central District, argues that forced federalization violates both the Posse Comitatus Act and the Tenth Amendment.
The ACLU of Southern California announced it is preparing litigation to block or narrow the federalization order, calling the deployment “retaliation” and “akin to a declaration of war on all Californians.”
National ACLU lawyers signaled a coordinated suit targeting both the Title 10 activation and any future use of the Insurrection Act.
California’s attorney-general is reviewing whether the White House overstepped statutory limits when it bypassed Governor Newsom; expect a motion for emergency injunctive relief within days.
Political pressure will intensify.
Governor Gavin Newsom has formally demanded the Guard’s withdrawal, labeling the move “purposefully inflammatory.”
Mayor Karen Bass reiterated that LAPD will not assist deportations and urged Angelenos to “refuse the spectacle” of violence.
Inside the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton remain “on high alert” should protests escalate.
Community response is scaling up.
Immigrant-rights coalitions have scheduled rapid-response trainings every evening this week and a city-wide march for Wednesday; social channels are pushing know-your-rights kits region-wide.
Mutual-aid pods in Paramount and Westlake are already distributing legal-aid vouchers and childcare sign-ups after Saturday’s tear-gas clash.
Watch the next 72 hours for three triggers.
Court filings: an emergency TRO could drop as soon as Tuesday; if granted, Guard rules of engagement may tighten overnight.
Federal escalation: any invocation of the Insurrection Act would bring active-duty troops; keep an eye on late-night White House press releases.
Narrative spin: DHS is labeling even peaceful freeway blockages “violent insurrection.” Expect intensified messaging if another high-profile arrest (like union leader David Huerta) draws national sympathy.
Key Legal Watch Dates
Mon, June 9: Newsom v. DOD TRO filing expected (L.A. federal court).
TBA: Hearing on ACLU v. Noem (Guantánamo transfers). Plaintiffs asked for the first available TRO/PI slot; judge has not yet fixed the date (expected mid-June).
Week of June 24: Alien Enemies Act appeals. Fifth- and Third-Circuit cases expected to be calendared together.
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Thank you for this amazing post, yet again.
We are officially a fascist police state. King Con has manufactured an emergency and then sent in his goons to manufacture reasons to have a police state.
We knew it was coming, and here it is. I am honored to live in the state of California, though I know we are probably his #1 target. This is his test run before all the tanks and flags and salutes on Saturday, the birthday present he is giving himself.
I still marvel at the spinelessness of republicans who are not doing their elected duty as lawmakers and who do not do the work of the people. I still marvel at how they grovel and whine and cower and lie and cover up. I never imagined in my 70s I would be witnessing the collapse of everything we have fought for in my lifetime, in my parents' lifetime, and in the lifetime of this nation.
June 14 is D-Day -- Democracy or Die-Day.
We must show up nonviolently in huge numbers. We need global support, because what happens here, will happen elsewhere.
We are the canary in the coal mine, and our fate is the fate of the world's.
Protest, be peaceful, be strong, be prepared, and be focused. Eye on the prize.
This is the response to domestic terrorism at its finest.
Capitalism is transforming into slavery. Chaos, terror and mass impoverishment will be followed by an olive branch: Universal Basic Income tied to digital ID - promoted by liberals who won't have to use it (yet) - then the gradual switching off of cash. And affordable public housing in smart areas that hum under 24/7 5G surveillance. Every human tracked by facial recognition by a government that controls what we buy, where we buy it - where we go and how far - how much we spend and who we see. There's no walls so it must be freedom though each of us will be assigned a digital prisoner tattoo number, not on the skin of our arm, but on a database somewhere.
This replaces a brightly painted prison camp that ran itself for two hundred years with some help from meritocracy, the cultural hegemony and ballot box 'democracy'. The American dream was always Arbeit Macht Frei.