LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON: Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the US military will temporarily dispatch approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles. This deployment is intended to provide support until additional National Guard troops can arrive, marking a further escalation in President Donald Trump’s response to widespread street protests against his stringent immigration policies.
Monday marked the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations in Los Angeles, where hundreds of protesters gathered outside a federal detention center housing immigrants.
The US military stated that a battalion would be sent to assist in protecting federal property and personnel until more National Guard troops could reach the location. A US official, speaking anonymously, indicated that for the time being, the Trump administration is not invoking the Insurrection Act, which would permit military personnel to directly participate in civilian law enforcement.
California initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of the National Guard and Marines, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty. Shortly thereafter, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he had been informed of Trump’s deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, following an initial deployment of 2,000 troops announced by Trump on Saturday.
Tensions have been mounting since Trump activated the National Guard on Saturday after street protests erupted in response to immigration raids in Southern California. This represents the most significant flashpoint yet in the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to deport undocumented migrants residing in the country.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell stated that his department had not received any formal notification regarding the Marines’ arrival in the city. He acknowledged that the deployment “presents a significant logistical and operational challenge.”
Trump asserted on Monday that he felt he had no alternative but to order the deployment to prevent the protests from escalating into uncontrolled violence.
The protests have so far resulted in some property damage, including several self-driving Waymo vehicles that were set on fire on Sunday evening. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that five officers sustained minor injuries. Police also noted that some protesters threw concrete and bottles at officers.
Democrats criticized Trump’s decision to deploy military force to manage the protests, characterizing it as an abuse of presidential power.
“The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented,” Newsom’s press office posted on X.
Trump voiced support for a suggestion by his border czar, Tom Homan, that Governor Newsom should be arrested for alleged obstruction of his administration’s immigration enforcement measures. “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump told reporters.
Paintballs, Eggs
In Los Angeles, several hundred protesters chanted “free them all” outside a federal detention facility where immigrants were being held. National Guard troops and police formed a perimeter around the building.
“What is happening affects every American, everyone who wants to live free, regardless of how long their family has lived here,” commented Marzita Cerrato, 42, a first-generation immigrant whose parents are from Mexico and Honduras.
Some individuals in the crowd punched and threw eggs at a Trump supporter present at the scene, while others fired paintballs from a car at the federal building.
According to local media, protests also erupted in at least nine other US cities on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
The Trump administration has argued that Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration allowed an excessive number of immigrants to enter the country and that Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles are improperly impeding efforts to deport them. Trump has pledged to deport a record number of undocumented individuals and to secure the US-Mexico border, setting a goal of at least 3,000 daily arrests.
US Marines have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11, 2001, attacks. However, it is exceedingly rare for US military troops to be utilized for domestic policing.
Trump could deploy Marines under certain legal provisions or by exercising his authority as commander-in-chief. Without invoking the Insurrection Act, the Marines, similar to the National Guard, would still be prohibited from directly enforcing civilian laws and would likely be restricted to protecting federal personnel and and property.
The last instance of the military being used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the then-California governor requested assistance from President George H. W. Bush to respond to the Los Angeles riots, which followed the acquittal of police officers who had beaten Black motorist Rodney King.
More than 50 people were killed in the 1992 riots, which also resulted in approximately $1 billion in damages over six days.
Federal law permits the president to deploy the National Guard if the nation faces invasion, if there is “rebellion or danger of rebellion,” or if the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
