The move appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor.

Tensions between the Trump administration and California intensified this weekend as President Donald Trump decided to deploy 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area, a move the state’s Democratic leaders cast as an unnecessary escalation amid protests over the administration’s immigration policies.

National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles early Sunday on the order of President Trump after protests roiled the city in recent days as federal law enforcement officers carried out immigration operations in the region.