Marines are now on duty in Los Angeles for the first time.
Tensions are escalating between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue to grip Los Angeles and spread to New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Texas, and other cities.
Trump deployed about 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to LA against Newsom's wishes.
A federal appeals court Thursday delayed an order requiring the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom, dealing the administration a temporary reprieve to what would have been a major reversal of its policy on the protests.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is calling for undocumented immigrants to self-deport.
“If you wait until we have to arrest you, you will never get to be an American, much less live here and work here and be able to pursue the American dream,” she threatened.
Top leaders at the Justice Department issued a directive to prosecutors around the country to be prepared to file charges over the weekend in the event of violence or "obstruction" of police at protests planned in several major cities.
The memo to all 93 U.S. Attorney's Offices, which was reviewed by ABC News, outlined several potentially relevant criminal statutes that prosecutors could consider applying to violent actors at protests.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh said the federal government will have "zero tolerance" for acts of "rioting, looting, arson, destruction of property, assaults on officers ... and obstruction of federal immigration efforts."
"Push out press releases whenever you file charges in these matters," the memo said. "We will not stop enforcing the law and we will not be deterred from keeping our districts safe."
-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin
Eighty-one arrests were made in LA on Wednesday night: 71 for failure to disperse, seven for curfew violation, two for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for resisting a police officer, the LAPD said.
Nearly 500 people have been arrested in LA since Saturday, according to the LAPD.
Texas Gov. Greg. Abbott said he’s sending at least 5,000 National Guardsmen and at least 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to "maintain order" at protests.
"Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we've seen in LA," he wrote, warning, "Anyone who damages property or harms a person will be arrested."
