Protests turn violent outside Trump rally

Protests outside a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico have turned violent as demonstrators threw burning T-shirts, plastic bottles and other items at police, overturned rubbish cans and knocked down barricades.

Officers responded by firing pepper spray and smoke grenades into the crowd outside the Albuquerque Convention Center on Tuesday night.

During the rally, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, who shouted, held up banners and resisted removal by security officers.

The banners included the messages "Trump is Fascist" and "We've heard enough".

Trump responded with his usual bluster, instructing security to remove the protesters and mocking their actions by telling them to "Go home to mommy".

He responded to one demonstrator by asking, "How old is this kid?" Then he provided his own answer: "Still wearing diapers."

Trump's supporters responded with chants of "Build that wall!"

Up to 47 per cent of New Mexico's population is Hispanic.

Protesters outside overran barricades and clashed with police in riot gear. They also burned T-shirts and other items labelled with Trump's catchphrase, "Make America Great Again".

Albuquerque police said on Twitter protesters threw rocks and bottles and a door to the facility appeared to have been hit with something, Reuters reported. Police said the only arrests so far had been inside the rally, where Trump was interrupted multiple times by protesters.