BREAKING: US military confirms 700 Marines deployed to Los Angeles as protests grow

The US military has confirmed it is sending 700 Marines to Los Angeles, after days of protests triggered by immigration enforcement operations.

In a statement the military said: "The activation of the Marines is intended to provide … adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency”.

Earlier Donald Trump defended his decision to deploy the National Guard in the city, while California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced he was suing the Trump administration over the move.

2,000 National Guard troops were sent in by Mr Trump who said the move was necessary to uphold "very strong law and order" in the city. He has claimed that LA would have been “completely obliterated” without the deployment. However Mr Newsom and other senior Democrats said the move was intentionally provocative.

The protests began on Friday when Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers began carrying out raids across the city, detaining many people who have lived and worked in Los Angeles for many years.