Washington— During a visit with federal law enforcement in Los Angeles on Friday, Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration still believes a military deployment to the city is necessary. Vance is the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit the Los Angeles area since protests broke out in the nation's second-largest city over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. He gave brief remarks after touring a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center and a federal mobile command center, and meeting with leadership and Marines on the ground. President Trump federalizedthousands of troopsfrom the California National Guard in response to the Los Angeles-area protests and ordered about 700 Marines to be deployed to protect federal property. The presidenthas directedfederal immigration authorities to prioritize deporting individuals from Democratic-run cities, including Los Angeles, and a series of ICE operations in L.A.sparked the protestsearlier this month. The deployments drew a lawsuit from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who argued the presence of military forces could inflame the situation. Late Thursday, a federal appeals courtallowedthe president to keep control of the National Guard troops he deployed to the Los Angeles region, halting a ruling from a lower court judge who said the president acted illegally when he activated the troops over objections from Newsom. The protests have waned, but the troops remain. In remarks to reporters on Friday, Vance said the situation has "gotten a lot better," but the Marines and National Guard forces are still "very much a necessary part of what's going on here," arguing the protests could "flare back up." The vice president also alleged that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had "egged on" violence during the protests. The administration has accused state and local officials of failing to protect federal immigration agents from threats and interference from protesters. Local authorities have pushed back,arguingfederal authorities are responsible for the chaos. "I would absolutely say that Gavin Newsom is endangering law enforcement," Vance said. Vance suggested the administration is willing to use the Guard in other places, but that it hopes not to. "If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the National Guard because it's unnecessary," the vice president said. On Thursday, federal agents were seenoutside the Los Angeles Dodgersballpark, after the team said it blocked immigration authorities from entering. Fans protested, and the Department of Homeland Security said Customs and Border Patrol vehicles "were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement." Federal immigration officers have stepped up enforcement efforts, with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller saying ICE officers are aiming for at least 3,000 arrests a day. So far, the number of arrests has failed to reach that target, with a daily average ofabout 1,200 arrestsin the month of June as of earlier this week. Back in Washington, Mr. Trump is handling international matters, particularly the Israel-Iran conflict. In a statement on Thursday, the president said hewill decidewhether the U.S. will join Israel in its strikes in the next two weeks. The president traveled to Bedminster, New Jersey, for a fundraising dinner Friday night after meetings with his national security team at the White House. SpaceX Starship upper stage blows up Hurricane Erick approaches Mexico with destructive winds, major storm surge Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman: Political violence "only gets better if we tackle it head-on"