Waving U.S. and Mexican flags, more than 1,000 people turned out for anti-trump rallies in San Diego, a city on the U.S.-Mexico border whose San Ysidro port of entry sees almost 300,000 people a day cross legally between the countries.
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Trump delivered a speech inside the San Diego Convention Center as more than 1,000 protesters representing various opposition groups demonstrated outside the venue, Fox 5 San Diego reported.
As the rally ended, police swarmed the area in riot gear, warning people they were part of an unlawful assembly and that everyone who remained there illegally and was subject to arrest.
From his official Twitter account, Trump tweeted at the San Diego Police Department thanking them for dealing with the “thugs” at his rally. “So it should concern every American”, she said.
Trump’s supporters responded with chants of “Build that wall!”.
Trump has already secured the delegates he needs for the GOP nomination, but has been making multiple appearances in California as well.
Dozens of police officers in riot gear had been deployed to separate them.
The presumptive Republican nominee was speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters in San Diego’s convention centre.
The rally was initially declared peaceful but eventually sparked moments of violence after protesters threw objects at police and attempted to climb over a barricade.
A few altercations broke out between supporters of the presumptive Republican nominee and protesters opposed to his campaign, particularly Trump’s views on immigration.
By late in the evening, authorities cleared the Gaslamp Quarter and herded several hundred people onto Harbor Drive as police in helicopters called for the protesters to disperse.
If his nomination is confirmed, Mr Trump will face former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who are vying for the Democrat nomination.
When Trump supporters left the rally around 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. ET), shouting matches erupted between them and protesters. “He used a bad word because he knows nothing about business”, he said.
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The Democratic presidential hopeful issued a statement saying “In recent days, Donald Trump has said he wants to debate, he doesn’t want to debate, he wants to debate and, now, he doesn’t want to debate”.
