Tensions have escalated in Los Angeles as hundreds of demonstrators battled with police following President Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown, which included the deployment of National Guard troops.
Demonstrators set fire to self-driving cars, stopped highways, and threw concrete blocks and electric scooters at police officers, who retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Some were held on Sunday evening, as police arrested individuals who refused to disperse.
Sunday was the third and most intensive day of protests against Trump’s immigration policies in the region.
The arrival of around 2,000 National Guard troops came after two days of protests, which began on Friday, when federal agents arrested a number of immigrants in the city.
More than 100 immigrant arrests were made last week in Los Angeles, according to federal authorities.
Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement.
The Guard is a US military reserve force often mobilised in domestic emergencies, answering to both state governors and the president.
It was deployed to protect LA’s federal buildings, including the downtown detention centre where protesters concentrated.
Troops stood carrying long guns and riot shields on Sunday morning, as protesters shouted “shame” and “go home”.
After some demonstrators came close to them, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.
Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully.
Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until police cleared them by the late afternoon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said deploying the troops was “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States”.
Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom requested that Trump remove the guard members in a letter on Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a breach of state sovereignty.
In a post on social media platform X, Newsom launched a series of criticisms of the president, calling him a “dictator” and accusing him of inciting violence.
