President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen to the Los Angeles area on Saturday as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rattle the city. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move is a result of “violent mobs” attacking “Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations” in recent days.

Helmeted police in riot gear turned out on Friday evening in a tense confrontation with protesters in downtown Los Angeles, after a day of federal immigration raids in which dozens of people across the city were reported to be taken into custody.