Trump boasts troops making Los Angeles 'safe'

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Los Angeles is "safe and sound" after he ordered troops into the streets but critics accused him of an authoritarian power grab and a judge was set to review the deployments' legality.

Protests erupted last week in the second biggest US city over aggressive new immigration raids targeting migrants at workplaces, courthouses and gathering places for day laborers seeking work.

Anger at Trump's crackdown and the use of masked, armed immigration agents, backed by uniformed soldiers, is spreading to other cities. Nationwide protests were planned for Saturday.

Trump has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, which has been largely peaceful, despite isolated clashes, vandalism and burning of cars.

The Republican credited the arrival of troops for ensuring a quiet night in Los Angeles, where the mayor had ordered a nighttime curfew.

Nearly 4,000 National Guard soldiers have been sent to Los Angeles, as well as 700 members of the US Marines — an elite force trained to fight in foreign wars and only very rarely deployed on US soil.

"Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job," Trump said on Truth Social, adding that without the military the city "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years."

A federal judge in San Francisco was set to hear arguments on whether use of the troops is constitutional, with California Governor Gavin Newsom alleging the president "is creating fear and terror."

Newsom accused Trump of aiming a "wrecking ball" at US democracy and urged Americans "not to give in."

Trump on Thursday said Newsom — seen as a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — had "totally lost control of the situation" and should thank him for "saving his ass."

Trump was elected last year in part on his promises to expel people who enter the country illegally, then commit serious crimes.

But his immigration crackdown is far broader, targeting mostly Latin American migrants who may have entered illegally but form the backbone of farming, construction and other manual industries in many parts of the country.