San Francisco, California - President Donald Trump's administration sent the National Guard into Los Angeles to try to "silence" protesters, a lawyer claimed during court hearings.

Meghan Strong, a lawyer from the California Attorney General's Office, argued in court that Trump's use of the National Guard in California was unlawful and a clear attempt to "silence" protesters.

Trump's decision was spurred by protests against the aggressive roundup and deportation of migrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Approximately 700 US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops were sent to Los Angeles ostensibly to protect federal infrastructure and ICE officers.

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"The government wanted a show of military force so great that any opposition to their agenda was silenced," Strong was cited as saying by Reuters.

The deployment of the National Guard was met with brutal condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose government sued the Trump administration for breaking the law.

According to Strong, the move violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which "removed the military from regular civil law enforcement" in response to the use of the US army against its own people during and after the Civil War.

Eric Hamilton, an attorney working for the Department of Justice, countered Strong's argument by claiming that LA had experienced "substantial violence" that justified military intervention.

The testimony comes a day after a military official told the court that Trump had gone against the advice of intelligence reports that showed there was little danger to federal property and personnel.