The move appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor.

Tensions between the Trump administration and California intensified this weekend as President Donald Trump decided to deploy 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area, a move the state’s Democratic leaders cast as an unnecessary escalation amid protests over the administration’s immigration policies.

National Guard troops arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday morning following a couple of days marked by violent clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters over President Trump's immigration enforcement operations conducted in the area.