WASHINGTON / LOS ANGELES - US President Donald Trump is deploying National Guard troops in Los Angeles despite the governor's objections as protests over immigration raids continue.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided several locations in Los Angeles on Friday, sparking mass protests downtown.

Trump had signed a memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen "to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," the White House said.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the president's move, describing it as "purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions" in a post on X.

Trump federalized part of the state's National Guard under what is known as Title 10 authority, which places him, not the governor, atop the chain of command, Newsom was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Several people were arrested on Saturday after protesters clashed with US immigration agents for the second day in a row in Southern California.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that its personnel responded to the 6400 Block of Paramount Boulevard in Paramount, Los Angeles county, about 11 am local time (1800 GMT), after reports of a large crowd gathering in the area and blocking traffic.

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As deputies arrived, it appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest, said the department.

"Several arrests have already been made for assault on a federal agent. ANY attack on our agents or officers will not be tolerated," said US Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks in an X post.

Protesters and federal agents clashed on the streets of Paramount following reports of an ICE raid in the city, local KABC television station reported, adding that some protesters blocked a street by turning over shopping carts and igniting a bonfire.

Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park, deploying tear gas as protesters gathered on medians and across the street, some jeering at authorities while recording the events on phones, according to the report.

About 500 people had gathered in downtown Los Angeles Friday evening to protest the ICE raids. Large crowds walked through the area holding signs and chanting "ICE out of LA."

As immigration crackdowns continue across Southern California and the nation, the raids have resulted in detention of at least 44 individuals, igniting widespread protests, confrontations and chaos in the second-largest US city.

The Service Employees International Union California issued a statement saying the union's president, David Huerta, was "injured and detained" during the raid.

Huerta was arrested for "interfering with federal officers" as he "deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle," said United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli in an X post.

Essayli also said federal agents were serving a search warrant in the Fashion District for alleged fictitious employee documents. He said there's reason to believe an employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers.

Videos from the scene showed protesters clashing with policemen as tear gas and pepper spray were used. Some protesters used hammers to break concrete columns and throw large broken concrete at the officers.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell issued a statement Friday, saying LAPD was not involved in civil immigration enforcement during the daytime. However, the LAPD declared the protest in the evening as an unlawful assembly and later issued a City Wide Tactical Alert, requesting all officers to remain on duty.

"I'm aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos," McDonnell said in the statement, "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."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement Friday night, saying that she was "deeply angered" by the federal immigration enforcement actions in the city.

"These tactics sow terror in our communities and distrust basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this," said the statement.

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Local community organizations held a press conference in the evening denouncing the raids.

"They were random sweeps, and they were picking up our community in random sweeps. They were racially profiling our community," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, at the conference.