National Guard troops arrived in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday after being ordered into the city by President Trump in response to a weekend of violent clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters triggered by immigration enforcement operations in the area on Friday.

The mood in downtown Los Angeles shifted from tense to surreal Monday evening as FOX 11 cameras captured a masked group handing out riot shields and gas masks just steps from federal buildings—despite official claims that protests remained largely peaceful.

Los Angeles residents and experts say that the National Guard's presence in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests is reminiscent of a longstanding dynamic in the state and around the country