President Trump said Monday that the city would have been “completely obliterated” if he had not deployed the National Guard.

Tensions are escalating in Los Angeles after protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement gripped the city on Sunday, with demonstrators clashing with law enforcement and setting vehicles on fire downtown.

California sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to send in National Guard troops in response to protests over immigration enforcement, calling it an unconstitutional use of executive power that usurped the state’s authority.