THE WHITE HOUSE has said that Donald Trump would not allow “mob rule” after protests against his immigration policies spread across the US — despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and a threat by the president to use “heavy force.”

Protests against Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies spread across the United States today, even as authorities in Los Angeles enforced an overnight curfew and deployed thousands of security personnel.

In the downtown area, police made 25 arrests by morning, while heavily armed officers patrolled near government buildings.

Storekeepers boarded up windows in anticipation of further unrest.

The mostly peaceful protests were ignited by a sudden escalation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented migrants.

However, pockets of unrest- including the burning of self-driving taxis and the hurling of stones at police – triggered a sweeping response from authorities, who deployed tear gas and other crowd-control weapons.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York City to denounce ICE arrests yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

US Marines, ordered by Trump to deploy in addition to over 4,000 National Guard soldiers, were expected to make their first appearance on the streets today.

It marks the first time in decades that a US president has overridden state objections to deploy federal military forces domestically.

“If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump insisted on social media today, without evidence.

He has described the protests as being driven by “paid insurrectionists” equipped with professional anti-riot gear, though the White House has not provided proof or identified who might be funding them.

“It’s a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when asked by AFP.

At a White House briefing, Leavitt doubled down on the administration’s hardline stance.

“President Trump will never allow mob rule to prevail in America,” she said, backed by television screens displaying images of burning vehicles and masked demonstrators.

“The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility.”

Dozens of protesters were detained by police yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Leavitt also lashed out at California officials, blaming Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for inflaming tensions.

“Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens,” she said, accusing Newsom of having “fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers.”

Her remarks echoed Trump’s own speech yesterday at Fort Bragg, where he vowed to “liberate” Los Angeles and branded the protesters “animals.”

Trump, who won re-election last year largely on a platform of clamping down on what he calls an “invasion” of undocumented migrants, has been accused by critics of using the unrest to gain political capital ahead of the midterms.

Governor Newsom accused the president of acting in a “dictatorial” manner by overriding state authority.

“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” Newsom said in a televised address Tuesday night. “California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here.”

Trump has expressed support for a call by one of his top officials to arrest Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, when Trump will be constitutionally required to step down.