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The United States military will deploy some 700 marines to Los Angeles until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops reaches the city, according to officials, marking a stark escalation in President Donald Trump’s response to protests over his immigration raids.
The deployment is an extraordinary use of military force in support of a police operation, and it comes over the objection of state and local leaders who did not request help.
For now, the Trump administration says it is not invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement.
Protests also sprang up in at least nine other US cities on Monday in response to the administration’s immigration policies, including New York, Philadelphia, Austin, and San Francisco, local news outlets reported.
‘First in, last out’
US 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 US military interventions abroad, but it is extremely rare for US military troops to be used for domestic policing matters.
Using them for police matters is certain to raise further objections from Democrats, who have accused Trump of unnecessarily escalating tensions in Los Angeles.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would support the arrest of California’s governor Gavin Newsom, after Newsom vowed to sue the federal government over the deployment of national guard troops to southern California, calling it an illegal act.
‘Unmistakable step toward authoritarianism’
The announcement that Marines would be deployed was made on the fourth straight day of protests.
Late on Monday, police began to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered outside a federal detention center in downtown LA, where immigrants have been held.
Police said arrests were being made.
National guard forces had formed a human barricade to keep people out of the building. Then a phalanx of police moved up the street, pushing people from the scene and firing “less lethal” munitions such as gas canisters.
Trump first deployed the national guard after street protests turned violent over the weekend. He later said he felt he had no choice but to order the deployment to prevent the violence from spiralling out of control.
California officials called the decision an overreaction to events on the ground. Newsom said Trump’s actions were an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism”.
“We are suing Donald Trump,” Newsom said on X. “This is a manufactured crisis. He is creating fear and terror to take over a state militia and violate the US constitution.”
California attorney-general Rob Bonta said in a release that his office had sued.
Federal law allows the president to deploy the guard if the nation is invaded, if there is “rebellion or danger of rebellion”, or the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States”.
California’s suit accuses Trump of exceeding his authority under the statute and asks a court to declare his actions unlawful.
Trump says it would be ‘great’ to arrest Newsom
Returning to the White House on Monday after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor.
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump replied. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
The White House and congressional Republicans contended the protests were a further reason for Republicans in Congress to pass Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ that would increase border security and military spending.
The bill, now in the US Senate after clearing the US House of Representatives, would also slash taxes, cut Medicaid benefits, and end green-energy initiatives.
US Northern Command said 300 members of the California national guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. The homeland security department said the guard’s mission was to protect federal buildings.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near Los Angeles City Hall for a rally in support of detained union leader David Huerta. They waved placards calling for Huerta’s release and chanted in Spanish: “We are all David Huerta.”
Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
For Democrats, who have lacked leadership since Trump won the presidential election last November, the Los Angeles protests have served as a rallying point, allowing them to find some political footing while standing up to the administration’s policies.
