Washington, DC — Los Angeles has erupted after federal immigration raids targeting undocumented migrants sparked days of protest — now spiralling into fiery clashes between demonstrators and police.

US President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops into the city — drawing fierce backlash from the leadership in California.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has condemned the move as a "chaotic escalation" — while California Governor Gavin Newsom has branded it "purposefully inflammatory" and vowed legal action.

Here's how a wave of immigration raids lit the fuse — and what's now turning Los Angeles into the epicentre of a national firestorm, with troops on the streets and tensions rising.

Why are people protesting in Los Angeles?

On Friday, masked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out coordinated raids across workplaces in Los Angeles, California, arresting 44 people.

By the next day, the Department of Homeland Security said the number had risen to 118. Demonstrators quickly gathered outside federal buildings in downtown LA, waving Mexican flags and chanting slogans.

In Paramount, just south of the city, protesters clashed with federal agents.

Tear gas and flash-bang grenades were used. Some protestors were seen hurling large rocks at ICE vehicles.

Soon, protests expanded beyond Los Angeles. In San Francisco, people gathered outside an ICE facility in a show of solidarity.

Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and arrested dozens.

"ICE out of LA!" protesters shouted, carrying handmade signs.

How has the federal government responded?

Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles County on Saturday. Soldiers in camouflage and helmets were seen outside federal buildings carrying automatic weapons.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the move "a serious breach of state sovereignty."

He wrote on X: "Trump is sending 2,000 National Guard troops into LA County -- not to meet an unmet need, but to manufacture a crisis. He's hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control. Stay calm. Never use violence. Stay peaceful."

LA Mayor Karen Bass also pushed back: "We will always protect the constitutional right for Angelenos to peacefully protest. However, violence, destruction and vandalism will not be tolerated in our City and those responsible will be held fully accountable."

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Are US Marines next?

US Northern Command said 500 Marines are in "prepared to deploy" status.

"The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," wrote US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said: "One of our core principles is maintaining peace through strength. We do that on foreign affairs and domestic affairs as well. I don’t think that’s heavy-handed."

Newsom described Hegseth's call for mobilisation of active duty Marines in LA as "deranged behavior."

What's the situation on ground now?

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has declared the protests an "unlawful assembly".

"You are to leave the Downtown Area immediately," it wrote on X. Protesters had blocked the 101 Freeway (a major highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the US) and damaged police vehicles, according to police.

In San Francisco, 60 people were arrested outside an ICE building during a solidarity protest. That gathering was also declared unlawful.

Police Chief Jim McDonnell told local media: "When peaceful demonstrations devolve into acts of vandalism or violence, especially violence directed at innocent people, law enforcement officers and others, we must respond firmly."

Some protestors turned their anger towards technology. Self-driving Waymo vehicles were vandalised, spray-painted with anti-ICE slogans and even set on fire. The LAPD issued a warning to avoid certain intersections downtown.

What's Trump saying?

Trump has asked the LA Police Department chief to "bring in the troops".

"Jim McDonnell, the highly respected LAPD Chief, just stated that the protesters are getting very much more aggressive, and that he would ‘have to reassess the situation,’ as it pertains to bringing in the troops. He should, RIGHT NOW!!! Don’t let these thugs get away with this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social."

Trump later posted: "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” and “ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!"

Approximately 300 National Guard members are already in Los Angeles after Trump ordered their deployment.

Governor Newsom has sued the Trump administration over the move.

What are Democrats saying?

Former Vice President Kamala Harris posted: "Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos. In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration’s cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division."

Mayor Bass noted, "Don’t engage in violence and chaos. Don’t give the administration what they want."

She also said she had met with Newsom and Police Chief McDonnell. "Angelenos – don’t engage in violence and chaos. Don’t give the administration what they want," she said.

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What is the global reaction?

On Monday, the UN warned against further militarisation of unrest in Los Angeles after Trump called out National Guard soldiers.

"We do not want to see any further militarisation of this situation, and we encourage the parties at the local, state, and federal levels to work to do that," the UN spokesperson said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also defended the migrants arrested in the raids.

"Mexicans living in the United States are good men and women, honest people who went to the United States to seek a better life for themselves and to support their families. They are not criminals! They are good men and women!"

Sheinbaum's remarks came after reports that 35 Mexicans were among those arrested. In Los Angeles, the protests included chants in Spanish and large banners denouncing ICE.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning commented on the situation during a daily press briefing.

"We call on the United States to respect human rights and stop the excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators," she said.

China's state media has described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis unfolding on American streets."

Are comparisons to 1992 justified?

The riots that followed the acquittal of officers who beat Rodney King (a Black American man) saw similar deployments. Then, 1,500 marines joined 2,000 National Guard soldiers in the city. But today, California's governor is pushing back.

"We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved," Newsom said.

Unlike in 1992, when looting and widespread arson gripped Los Angeles, the current protests remain largely peaceful. But officials say the mood could shift. With Marines on standby and emotions running high, many worry about what the next flashpoint might be.

The memory of Rodney King lingers in the city’s consciousness. But this time, the issue at hand is immigration.

Protesters spray-painted "Return the Homies" across the walls of City Hall. Others carried signs reading "We Belong Here."

As one demonstrator shouted: "They came for our people in vans. We showed up in thousands. And we’re not leaving."