The National Guard will be deployed to Los Angeles after “riots” in response to immigration raids extended into a second day.

California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that the Trump administration is deploying “2,000 soldiers” to Los Angeles after local police used tear gas, stun guns, and riot shields to push back immigration protesters on Saturday.

Demonstrations began outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in the downtown area of LA on Friday after officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out raids in the area.

On Saturday, several dozen protesters were involved in police standoffs in Paramount, a city south of LA.

Mr Newsom warned in a post on X: “The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves.”

He described the deployment as “purposefully inflammatory” and claimed it will “only escalate tensions”.

President Donald Trump hit back at Mr Newsom in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.

“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!,” he wrote.

Mr Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that active duty marines would also be mobilised if “violence continues”.

LA mayor Karen Bass said that amid the recovery from this year’s wildfires, “many in our community are feeling fear” following “recent federal immigration enforcement actions” across LA County.

“We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward,” she said.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable.”

Reports the guard would be deployed to LA came earlier on Saturday, from Mr Trump’s border tsar Tom Homan on Fox News.

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44 arrested in Friday raids

At least 44 people were arrested on suspicion of immigration violations during raids on Friday, with crowds of around “1,000 rioters” forming around the building before some “assaulted law enforcement officers, slashed tires, and defaced taxpayer-funded property”, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The raids saw street vendors and day workers rounded up across Home Depots, a clothing factory, and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla (The Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles) said.

In a statement on Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “violent mobs” had “attacked ICE officers and federal law enforcement agents carrying out basic deportation operations”.

She described such activity as “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States”.

Ms Leavitt said Californian politicians were “feckless” and had “completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens”, prompting Mr Trump’s order to send in the guard.

Protests spread to second city

On Saturday, protests spread to the Paramount area, where there is a significant Latino population, after demonstrators spotted ICE employees in a Home Depot car park they appeared to be using as a base.

Law enforcement officers faced off protesters at a road junction at around 5pm where a car had been set on fire earlier in the day.

The roads were pictured strewn with trolleys and rubbish bins set on fire, as gas canisters and fireworks were also set off.

Commenting on Saturday’s protests, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said: “It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest.”

Vice President JD Vance claimed that “insurrectionists” were seen “carrying foreign flags” and “attacking immigration enforcement officers” in Paramount.

“One half of America’s political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil,” he posted on X. “Time to pass President Trump’s beautiful bill and further secure the border.”

The clashes come amid Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal migration.

As soon as he was re-elected in January he set a target of arresting 3,000 suspected illegal migrants per day – and promised to lock down the US-Mexico border.

Elon Musk’s social media post claiming Donald Trump is in files relating to the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has been removed.

The tech billionaire made the allegation on X as he traded blows with the US president in a dramatic public row.

In the post, which now appears to have been deleted, Musk said: “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.

“Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

He gave no evidence for the claim, which was dismissed by the White House – with the post disappearing from his social media platform by Sunday.

Users clicking on the message – first posted on Thursday – were instead greeted with: “Hmm…this page doesn’t exist. Try searching for something else.”

Epstein killed himself in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.

Musk and Mr Trump’s relationship broke down publicly on Thursday, just days after the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive left his role as a special government employee.

In a fiery exchange, Musk posted a series of messages on X criticising the president’s signature tax and spending bill as a “big ugly spending bill”.

President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying Musk had been “wearing thin” and claimed he “asked him to leave” his government position – something Musk denied.

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Musk then hit back with his claim about the US president appearing in the Epstein files.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the comment in a statement.

“This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted,” she said.

“The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again.”

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The spat hit Tesla shares, which closed down 14.3% on Thursday, losing about $150bn (£111bn) in value.

In an interview with ABC News, Mr Trump was asked about reports a phone call was scheduled between him and Musk on Friday.

He reportedly said: “You mean the man who has lost his mind?”

Donald Trump has said Elon Musk has “lost his mind”, according to US media, as the White House reveals the president is not interested in speaking to him.

In a phone interview with ABC News, the US president was asked about reports that a phone call was scheduled on Friday between Musk and himself.

“You mean the man who has lost his mind?” he is said to have responded.

A White House official has said Mr Trump is not interested in talking to his former ally amid a bitter feud between the two, adding that no phone call is planned for the day.

It comes as a source familiar with the situation has told Sky News the president is considering selling his Tesla, in a further sign that no resolution to the explosive bust-up is in sight.

Mr Trump purchased a Tesla earlier this year, describing the company as Elon’s “baby”.

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The pair’s relationship broke down publicly on Thursday, just days after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk left his role as a special government employee.

In a fiery exchange, Musk posted a series of messages on X criticising the president’s signature tax bill as a “big ugly spending bill”.

President Trump posted on Truth Social that Musk had been “wearing thin” and claimed he “asked him to leave” his government position, something Musk denied.

Elon Musk then hit back, alleging the president “is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.”

He gave no evidence for the claim, and it was dismissed by the White House.

In a statement, it called the bust-up an “unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.”

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The bill at the centre of the spat was passed by the House Republicans in May and has been described by the president as a “big, beautiful bill”.

The president said to reporters in the White House on Thursday that Musk “knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here”.

“He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem and he only developed the problem when he found out we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate.”

Musk then denied this, saying: “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”

The spat hit Tesla shares, which closed down 14.3% on Thursday, losing about $150bn (£111bn) in value.

Musk also said SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft “immediately” after Mr Trump threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk’s businesses.

Hours after issuing his threat, however, Musk heeded advice from X users telling him to “cool down” and posted: “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon”.

The row between two of the most powerful men in America comes a week after Musk left his position in the government, where he spearheaded a controversial cost-cutting department, DOGE – the Department of Government Efficiency.