Unrest broke out for a third day, with protestors angry at action by immigration officials that have resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.
But opponents say Trump, who has made clamping down on illegal migration a key plank of his second term, was deliberately stoking tensions with his deployment of California's National Guard, a stand-by military usually controlled by the state's governor, Gavin Newsom.
“This is a serious breach of state sovereignty - inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California,“ he added.
Traffic was halted on a key freeway for over an hour while scores of people thronged the roadway. They were moved off by California Highway Patrol officers, who used flash-bangs and smoke grenades.
By early afternoon LAPD officers established containment lines some distance from federal buildings, preventing contact between angry demonstrators and the scores of armed National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who had gathered in helmets and camouflage gear.
Trump, asked about the use of troops, was unrepentant, hinting instead at a more widespread deployment in other parts of the country.
Responding to a question about invoking the Insurrection Act -- which would allow the military to be used as a domestic police force -- Trump said: “We’re looking at troops everywhere. We’re not going to let this happen to our country.”
The National Guard is frequently used in natural disasters, and occasionally in instances of civil unrest, but almost always with the consent of local authorities.
'Intimidation'
“I have no concern about that at all,“ said House Speaker Mike Johnson, accusing Newsom of “an inability or unwillinSgness to do what is necessary”.
“I think it’s an intimidation tactic,“ Thomas Henning said.
Estrella Corral said demonstrators were angry that hard-working migrants who have done nothing wrong were being snatched by masked immigration agents.
“Trump deploying the National Guard is ridiculous. I think he’s escalating, he’s trying to make a show for his agenda.”
“We hate what they’ve done with the undocumented workers, but this is moving it to another level of taking away the right to protest and the right to just peaceably assemble,“ he said.
A CBS News poll taken before the Los Angeles protests showed a slight majority of Americans still approved of the immigration crackdown.
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