Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully defended the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles during a hearing on Tuesday.

National Guard troops began protecting immigration agents as they made arrests in Los Angeles on Tuesday, an expansion of their duties that been limited to protecting federal property. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.

National Guard troops are now protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in and around Los Angeles, marking an expansion of their duties since being deployed by President Donald Trump this week.

President Donald Trump has built his presidency around stretching the bounds of presidential authority, and his response to protests over an immigration crackdown in Los Angeles is no exception.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration for federalizing the National Guard in L.A. County over the weekend, saying the president abused his authority.

Protests against ICE are spreading across the U.S. as the Trump administration intensifies its response to gatherings in Los Angeles.

Multiple people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday morning, merely 12 hours after thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Mission to rally against the widespread raids taking place across California.

Monday's protests were largely calmer than Sunday's clashes. California officials insist that the 4,000 National Guards troops and 700 active duty Marines en route to L.A. are an unnecessary abuse of power by Trump.

State AG Rob Bonta called the federal government's order "unlawful" and "unprecedented" as anti-ICE raid demonstrations emerged in Los Angeles.

Armed National Guard troops are accompanying immigration agents as they carry out mass deportation raids on the streets of Los Angeles, multiple sources told The Post.

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.”