On the heels of major shows of force by federal immigration agents in Southern California, a judge is set to rule in a lawsuit seeking to halt immigration raids in Los Angeles. The developments again thrust a spotlight on a region that emerged weeks ago as an epicenter of large-scale immigration raids by the Trump administration – and of tense protests against the actions that often yielded arrests of their own.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Federal agents conducted immigration enforcement raids on Thursday on state-licensed marijuana nurseries in an agricultural region of coastal Southern California, where they were later confronted by throngs of angry protesters.

A confrontation erupted between protesters and federal agents outside a Southern California farm while a raid took place Thursday

Trump was also quick to criticize the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to both disasters, and as president, he has said he wants to "wean off" FEMA and phase out the agency in an effort to shift more responsibility for recovery to states.

That praise, which Trump is likely to repeat during his visit to the flood-ravaged Texas Hill Country on Friday, is a far cry from Trump's harsh criticism of elected Democrats in California when wildfires devastated Los Angeles in January.