By Brad Brooks, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Dietrich Knauth LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, stirring street protesters and raising alarm among Democratic leaders who warn of authoritarianism.

The ongoing protests in Los Angeles began with small demonstrations against immigration raids in the nation's second largest city.

A cloud of uncertainty is hanging over Los Angeles, where questions remain over the role that Marines and National Guard troops will play after being called in by President Donald Trump amid protests over immigration raids in the city.

Trump is begging for a fight on this. He knows what he’s doing so far is working with the American electorate," one data analyst noted

Unlike the 1992 riots, protests have mainly been peaceful and been confined to a roughly five-block stretch of downtown LA, a tiny patch in the sprawling city of nearly 4 million people. No one has died. There’s been vandalism and some cars set on fire but no homes or buildings have burned.

CLAIM: A Craigslist ad seeking “the toughest badasses in the city” is proof that Los Angeles demonstrations over immigration raids are made up of paid protesters.

People gathered in downtown Des Moines to show support for immigrants' rights as protesters more than 1,600 miles away in LA continue to rally against ICE.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump over the recent immigration protests in Los Angeles, saying the president “wanted this fight.” “He wanted to focus on immigration and