Protesters gathered Thursday in the streets and on the campus of East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, where former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton brought her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Supporters of Clinton's Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, confronted Clinton's backers outside the college as a cordon of police kept watch.
"She would do absolutely nothing to help the middle class," said Cilena Aziz, a Sanders supporter.
Among the protesters gathered were members of Union del Barrio, a political group with a presence in South Los Angeles. They said Clinton did not support a national $15 minimum wage and has been a part of anti-immigration policies, including deporting undocumented children.
"I believe that being a Democrat is for the people," said Regina Cruz, a Sanders supporter. "I have a really difficult time believing that she is really for the people."
Clinton said Donald Trump wants to create a "deportation force to round up millions of people," warning a largely Hispanic audience about the presumptive Republican nominee's plans.
Clinton said the "best way to prevent that from happening is to make sure he never gets near the White House."
The Democratic front-runner said she will push for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws and end "raids and roundups" of immigrants.
She is pushing for a show of force in California's June 7 primary against Sanders. She said "winning big in California will put us on the path to winning big in November."
Clinton was attending fundraisers and courting black and Latino voters in Los Angeles on Thursday, before her afternoon speech at the college.
She met with local black leaders during a stop at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park, where she touted her lead over Sanders.
"I am 3 million-plus votes ahead of Senator Sanders, right?" Clinton told the crowd. "I am nearly 300 pledged delegates ahead of Senator Sanders."
NBC4 Wire Services contributed to this report.
