Los Angeles is experiencing its second day of significant riots, with the National Guard being called in on Saturday night, local time.

What sparked the unrest?

Everything began on Friday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including outside a clothing warehouse in the city's fashion district. A judge had found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, according to representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the US Attorney's Office. A tense scene unfolded outside as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away. Advocates for immigrants' rights said there were also migration detentions outside Home Depot stores and a doughnut shop.

Who was arrested?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrest of 118 immigrants, including five people linked to criminal organisations and people with prior criminal histories. The president of Service Employees International Union California, David Huerta, was arrested and charged with impeding a federal agent while protesting, the US Attorney's office said. The chief program officer for the Immigrant Defenders Law Centre said the organisation was aware of one man who was already deported back to Mexico.

DHS say 118 people have been arrested. (AP: Jae C. Hong)

What happened next?

Dozens of protesters gathered on Friday evening outside a federal detention centre in Los Angeles where lawyers said those arrested had been taken, chanting "set them free, let them stay!" Other protesters held signs that said, "ICE out of LA!" while others led chants and shouted from megaphones. Some scrawled graffiti on the building's facade.

Protesters lit fires on the streets. (AP: Eric Thayer)

Officers holding protective shields stood shoulder to shoulder to block an entrance. Some tossed tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. Officers wearing helmets and holding batons forced the protesters away from the building by forming a line and walking slowly down the street. Protests continued on Saturday.

Community organisers gathered outside federal buildings. (AP: Damian Dovarganes)

Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park in the city of Paramount, deploying tear gas as bystanders and protesters gathered on medians and across the street. Some jeered at officers while recording the events on smartphones. "ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are," a woman said through a megaphone. " You are not welcome here. "

One handheld sign read, "No Human Being is Illegal." Smoke rose from burning shrubbery and rubbish in the street, and demonstrators kicked at a Border Patrol vehicle. A boulevard was closed to traffic as Border Patrol agents circulated through a community where more than 80 per cent of residents identify themselves as Latino. The California Highway Patrol said Governor Gavin Newsom had directed the agency to deploy additional officers to "maintain public safety" on state highways and roads and the agency will work to "keep the peace."

Why was the National Guard called?

Acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, more commonly known as the border czar, Tom Homan told Fox News on Saturday night the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles. Street protests erupt after sweeping immigration raids in LA Photo shows A person placing debris in a fire on a road Street protests erupt in Los Angeles, the United States' second-largest city, after sweeping immigration raids by ICE agents. US President Donald Trump said he would send 2,000 California National Guard troops to the protests.

The National Guard is a state-based military force that is part of the military reserves. Typically, they are deployed on state-based missions during natural disasters. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: "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!!!"

Either the state governor or the president or the secretary of Defense can deploy the National Guard. The National Guard has been called into Los Angeles. (AP: Jae C. Hong) Mr Newson has the primary authority to deploy the guard on a state level, under state active duty or Title 32 status, where the state would bear the cost. An example of this was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The guard would typically be deployed by the president or defence secretary for national emergencies, homeland defence, or federal missions under Title 10, where they take on the cost. However, they can also control the guard under the 1807 Insurrection Act when a state is unable to manage civil unrest, which former president George HW Bush did during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Has there been a crackdown on immigration?

The Trump Administration says they're cracking down on immigration. (AP: Eric Thayer) Yes. Mr Trump and his administration have promised mass deportations across the country. The White House set a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 immigrants a day. Mr Trump is also trying to remove birthright citizenship, which allows most residents born in the US the right to citizenship, including the children of undocumented immigrants. On top of that, Mr Trump is working to suspend habeas corpus, the constitutional right for people to legally challenge their detention by the government. One man has already been wrongly sent to detention in El Salvador, while an Australian woman was denied entry into the US despite having a valid tourist visa.

ABC/Wires

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.