U.S. National Guard faces off with protestors as LA erupts over immigration raids

Over in the U.S.

Concerns are mounting over the deployment of National Guard troops to LA to quell public protests against raids by ICE agents this past weekend.

Our Choi Soo-hyung reports.

Violent clashes continue as cars burn in downtown Los Angeles.

Tear gas is fired at the protestors, covering the street with smoke.

The protests were sparked when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the FBI raided downtown shops last Friday, detaining around 44 people, mostly Hispanic immigrants.

"It is a beautiful day of resistance because Trump, the administration, Border Patrol, ICE, they know, now they know they cannot go anywhere in this country where our people are and try to kidnap our workers, our people."

On Sunday local time, for a second day, protests erupted in several areas including Paramount and Paramount and Santa Barbara over surprise immigrant arrests.

"It's disappointing. It's heartbreaking to know that our community is going through this. But it's also beautiful to see everybody come out together and stand against it and we're going to continue doing that."

U.S. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops.

He described protesters as rioters and looters, and banned them from wearing masks.

It is the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president has deployed the National Guard without a governor's request.

And it's also the first time in 33 years that they've been been deployed to control protestors the previous time being the 1992 LA riots.

California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom condemned President Trump's decision.

No Koreans are known to be among those detained in the recent mass arrests.

However, under the Trump administration's tougher immigration policy, there have been individual cases of Korean nationals being arrested and detained in LA.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in LA said there have been about four to five cases involving issues such as missing visa documents.

President Trump had pledged during last year's election to deport over one million undocumented immigrants every year.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.