Amid a storm of protest and arrests in downtown Los Angeles, immigration authorities appear to be intensifying operations across Southern California as federal officials vow to press ahead with a crackdown on workers and residents without proper documents.

Protests over President Trump's immigration enforcement raids and his mobilization of the Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles have spread to other major U.S. cities.

The power of the US military will be sharply on display this weekend – on two different coasts and in two very different ways.

Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.

The National Guard has at times detained protesters in its deployment to Los Angeles, an official said Wednesday, as demonstrations against Immigration and Customs enforcement raids spread to other major cities.

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize criminal prosecution of protesters who destroy property or assault law enforcement, and to make sure every case they bring gets publicized,

A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday challenging Trump's use of the National Guard and Marines to support immigration raids in Los Angeles. California leaders warn that the military intervention is the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn norms at the heart of America's political system.

President Donald Trump sent in troops, but demonstrators have largely come face to face with local police instead