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.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said 500 National Guard members have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations.

The Justice Department claims California's request to limit the federal response to violent riots in Los Angeles would "countermand" the president's lawful military directives.

The peaceful protest began shortly after 6 p.m. and soon tripled in size as people congregated in front of a road closure, occupied by at least six members of the California National Guard on

Military troops are protecting federal immigration enforcement agents as they conduct sweeps for illegal immigrants in California. On Tuesday, the Trump administration detailed the role National Guardsmen are playing to provide cover for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they target illegal immigrants in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, the X page for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted photos of California National Guardsmen on the scene of a detention being carried out by an ICE agent with the caption "Photos from today's ICE Los Angeles immigration enforcement operation."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines are headed to Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don’t want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests.

HOW WE GOT HERE: The protests erupted after Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Friday carried out raids in three locations across L.A., where dozens of people were taken into custody. Newsom called the raids “chaotic federal sweeps” that aimed to fill an “arbitrary arrest quota.”