When President Donald Trump put 2,000 National Guard troops under his control on Saturday night and ordered them into Los Angeles, it was billed as an urgent response to quell protests. But it was also a move long in the making.

An escalating clash pits a Republican president looking to fulfill his mass deportation goals against a Democratic governor with White House aspirations hoping to mobilize opposition.

Most of the evening was peaceful, with a few protesters turning to vandalism in a tight area -- actions that brought police to move in closer and ultimately work to disperse the crowd.

President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to disperse protests over immigration activity in the Los Angeles area, the White House said in a statement Saturday night.

A federal court hearing is scheduled on whether the Trump administration can use the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the deployment of thousands of troops to Los Angeles was about maintaining law and order as federal agents do their job. "The mission in Los Angeles