The White House said in a statement that Trump was deploying the Guardsmen to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester” in California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the move and said in a post on X that the move from the Republican president was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”

“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

On Saturday local time, protesters gathered in Paramount, California. Assembly member José Luis Solache said four people were arrested.

US President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan told Fox News the National Guard would be deployed to Los Angeles County.

“American people, this is about enforcing the law, and again, we’re not going to apologise for doing it,” Homan said.

The Department of Justice criticised California officials as protests over federal immigration enforcement operations entered a second day Saturday.

“The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a Saturday statement.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a “message to the LA rioters” on social media Saturday. “You will not stop us or slow us down,” she wrote. “@ICEgov will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it was not involved in immigration enforcement and was working to ensure the safety of the public.

“The Sheriff’s Department was not involved in any federal law enforcement operations or actions and responded solely for traffic and crowd control management,” the LASD said in a statement.

Videos of the scene show law enforcement officers in riot gear, wielding batons, holding shields and throwing smoke bombs into the crowd. Protesters chanted “Free them all” and held signs with messages including “Full Rights for All Immigrants” and “Stop the Deportations.” Video shows several officers in riot gear pinning at least one person to the ground.

The protest came after at least 44 people were arrested by federal immigration agents earlier in the day, The Associated Press reported, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed search warrants at three locations, according to a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations. The arrests come amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration, which has involved waves of raids and deportations across the country.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass characterised the immigration arrests as “mass chaos,” according to CNN affiliate KABC. The mayor said she hadn’t been told about the raids in advance. “It sows a sense of terror throughout the community,” she said. “ICE was literally chasing people down the street.”

The federal law enforcement activity came on the same day multiple sources told CNN the Trump administration is preparing for “large-scale” cancellation of federal funds for California.

CNN has reached out to DHS for further information.

One of the Friday raids was in the city’s Fashion District, where agents served a search warrant after a judge determined a business was allegedly using fictitious documents for some of its workers, US Attorney’s office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy told CNN.

“Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are – if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” Essayli said.

“Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals,” he said.

“We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

Bass said Friday’s immigration arrests were different from previous, more organised actions.

“I’ve been really worried about this from the beginning, and as far as I know, this is the first time this has happened in our city like this,” she told KABC. “We know ICE has been here, but it’s been for targeted arrests; this was just mass chaos.

“It sows a sense of chaos in our city, and a sense of terror, and it’s just unacceptable.”

Protesters face off with police

One video obtained by CNN shows protesters retreating from the building’s entrance after coming face-to-face with the police guarding it. Several projectiles are thrown at officers equipped with body armor and protective shields.

Other videos show the detention centre sprayed with anti-ICE graffiti, with some protesters blocking LAPD vehicles close by.

Families and friends who had loved ones taken by immigration authorities visited the detention centre to learn more about their status, KABC reported.

A young woman who spoke with the outlet said she went to the building in tears after her father was taken by federal agents.

The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly around 7pm and warned demonstrators were subject to arrest if they remained in the area.

Aerial footage from KABC shows law enforcement throwing smoke bombs on a street to disperse people so they could make way for SUVs and military-style vehicles.

“While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual’s immigration status,” Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement about the immigration enforcement activities.

“I want everyone, including our immigrant community, to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to one’s immigration status.”

Newsom said in a Saturday statement, “Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel.”

“Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy,” the governor said.