US President Donald Trump said National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles would ensure "very strong law and order," while appearing to leave the door open to deploying soldiers in other cities.
"You have violent people, and we are not going to let them get away with it," he told reporters regarding those protesting raids by immigration agents in California.
"I think you're going to see some very strong law and order," Mr Trump added.
The US President was speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Morristown Airport before boarding Air Force One bound for Camp David.
Minutes earlier, troops had fired tear gas and pushed back a handful of protesters outside a detention centre in Los Angeles.
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About a dozen National Guard members were seen in video footage lining up at a federal building in Los Angeles city centre, where detainees from immigration raids on Friday were taken, sparking protests that continued yesterday.
The complex is near Los Angeles City Hall, where another protest against the immigration raids is scheduled for this afternoon.
US Northern Command confirmed National Guard troops had started deploying and that some were already on the ground.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused Mr Trump of deploying the National Guard because he wants "a spectacle".
National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount in southeast Los Angeles near a hardware shop, the site of altercations between protestors and police yesterday.
A planned demonstration in the eastern Los Angeles neighbourhood of Boyle Heights drew about 200 protesters by 12pm local time (8pm Irish time).
No law enforcement personnel were present, according to a Reuters witness.
"These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED," Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Video showed at least a half dozen military-style vehicles and riot shields at the federal building where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed about "1,000 rioters" had protested on Friday.
Reuters could not verify the DHS account.
Law enforcement faced off with protesters in Paramount and Los Angeles city centre, with federal officers firing gas canisters in efforts to disperse crowds, according to Reuters witnesses.
In Paramount, a few hundred protesters gathered before tensions escalated yesterday, with approximately 100 demonstrators assembled in Los Angeles city centre.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 27 people yesterday for failure to disperse from the city centre protest, police spokesperson Norma Eisenman said.
She said she could not comment on whether LAPD used less lethal force. Less lethal force refers to crowd control tactics such as pepper balls.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested three people yesterday on suspicion of assaulting an officer and three deputies received minor injuries.
Sheriff's deputies did use "less lethal force" in Paramount, spokesperson deputy Brenda Serna said, but she could not specify which tactics were used.
Watch: Protesters and officers exchange fireworks and tear gas in Los Angeles
'Zero tolerance'
The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Mr Trump's Republican White House, which has made an immigration crackdown a hallmark of his second term.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, claiming marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert".
"There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job.
"The National Guard, and marines if need be, stand with ICE," Mr Hegseth said in a social media post, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trump Administration's calling on the California National Guard without the authorization of the Governor is unprecedented.
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) June 8, 2025
This action is designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation.
If the Guard is needed to restore peace, the Governor will ask for…
California Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan criticised Mr Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops, arguing that local law enforcement has adequate resources to respond.
"We don't need the help. This is him escalating it, causing tensions to rise. It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Ms Barragan told CNN.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings, to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations.
Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day.
But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges.
Trump's justification
While US Vice President JD Vance referred to the protesters yesterday as "insurrectionists" and senior White House aide Stephen Miller described the protests as a "violent insurrection", Mr Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act.
That 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events like civil disorder.
The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor.
Instead, Mr Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the US Code on the Armed Forces.
However, Title 10 also outlines that the "orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States".
It was not immediately clear if Mr Trump had the legal authority to deploy the National Guard troops without Mr Newsom's order.
Title 10 allows for National Guard deployment by the US federal government if there is "a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States".
Those troops are only allowed to engage in limited activities and cannot undertake ordinary law enforcement activities.
Mr Trump's memo said the troops will "temporarily protect ICE and other United States government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur".
