LOS ANGELES — Tensions soared in Los Angeles as thousands of protesters took to the streets Sunday, ignited by President Donald Trump’s controversial deployment of the National Guard. The protests, which blocked major freeways and led to violent clashes, prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to announce plans to sue the Trump administration.

"This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard. The order he signed doesn’t just apply to California. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We’re suing him," Newsom stated on X.

The unrest began following a series of immigration enforcement operations in the area, which sparked outrage among residents. The National Guard was deployed to protect federal buildings, including a downtown detention center, as protests intensified over the weekend. Images from the scene showed National Guard members using tear gas and non-lethal ammunition against demonstrators.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell reported that officers were "overwhelmed" by the protests, which included regular agitators. By Sunday evening, police declared an unlawful assembly, leading to numerous arrests. One protester was detained for throwing a Molotov cocktail, while another was arrested for ramming a motorcycle into officers.

In response to the escalating situation, Trump took to social media, urging law enforcement to take a hard stance against the protesters. "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" he wrote.

The protests in Los Angeles were part of a broader backlash against Trump’s immigration policies, which have led to increased enforcement actions in the region. Newsom criticized the deployment of the National Guard as a "serious breach of state sovereignty," and called for their removal in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The deployment of the National Guard without the governor's request marks a significant escalation in federal-state relations. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused Trump of provoking chaos, stating that the situation was exacerbated by the federal response. "What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration," Bass said during a press conference.

As the protests continued, police used crowd-control measures, including flash bangs and rubber bullets, to disperse demonstrators. Many protesters responded by throwing objects at law enforcement, leading to further confrontations. By late afternoon, officers managed to clear the 101 freeway, which had been blocked by protesters.

In San Francisco, similar protests led to the arrest of dozens of individuals after a group refused to disperse. Police declared an unlawful assembly as violence erupted, resulting in injuries to several officers.

The National Guard's deployment followed two days of protests that began Friday, with demonstrators rallying against federal immigration raids that resulted in over 100 arrests in the Los Angeles area. The protests did not reach the scale of previous civil unrest in the city, but they marked a significant moment in the ongoing debate over immigration policy and federal intervention.

Trump, in a directive issued Saturday, invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members in response to what he described as a "rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." He authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members, stating that "violent people" in Los Angeles would not be tolerated.

As the situation unfolds, both state and federal officials continue to exchange blame over the unrest, with Newsom asserting that California authorities had the situation under control prior to the National Guard's arrival. The legal battle over the deployment is set to intensify as both sides prepare for a confrontation in court.