The U.S. military will temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles until more National Guard troops can arrive, marking another escalation in President Donald Trump’s response to street protests over his aggressive immigration policies.
The U.S. Northern Command said a battalion would be sent to help protect federal property and personnel until more National Guard troops could reach the scene. For now, the Trump administration was not invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tensions have been rising since Trump activated the National Guard on Saturday – an act that Democrats have labelled an unnecessary provocation – after street protests erupted in response to immigration raids in Southern California. It is the biggest flashpoint yet in the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally.
Trump said on Monday he felt he had no choice but to order the deployment to prevent acts of violence from spiralling out of control.
He supported a suggestion by his border czar that California Governor Gavin Newsom be arrested, after the Democrat said California was suing to block deployment of the National Guard.
The Trump administration has argued that Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration allowed far too many immigrants to enter the country, and Democratic-run cities such as Los Angeles are improperly interfering with efforts to deport them.
Street demonstrations have continued each day since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff’s deputies.
On Monday, hundreds of protesters assembled outside a downtown detention centre where immigrants were detained and at another site. Amid a heavy law enforcement presence, protesters carried signs denouncing the Trump administration while a band played Mexican music.
Additional rallies were planned in more than a dozen cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York City and San Francisco.
At issue is whether military force – the National Guard or the Marines – is needed, as leading Republicans have maintained, or if it is an abuse of presidential power, as Democrats contend.
U.S. Marines have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11, 2001, attacks. They are known for being “first in, last out” in U.S. military interventions abroad, but it is extremely rare for U.S. military troops to be used for domestic policing matters.
Trump could deploy Marines under certain conditions of law or his authority as commander in chief. Without invoking the Insurrection Act, the Marines, like the National Guard, would still be subject to a legal prohibition that prevents them from directly enforcing civilian laws and would likely be limited to protecting federal personnel and property.
The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked former President George H.W. Bush for aid in response to the Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.
Even if only as a support role, using Marines in the context of a police matter is certain to raise further objections from Democrats, who have accused Trump of unnecessarily escalating tensions in Los Angeles.
“The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented,” Newsom’s press office said on X.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a release that his office had sued.
Adapted from www.reuters.com
