Donald Trump is mobilizing hundreds of Marines who could be deployed to the streets of Los Angeles in a move to quell unrest sparked by his order over the weekend to federalize and deploy National Guard troops to the region, ostensibly to thwart protests against his deportation agenda.
The mobilization of hundreds of Marines has been reported by numerous outlets, including CNN and The Wall Street Journal.
The move marks a dangerous escalation, in which the commander-in-chief is is threatening to dispatch the nation’s military in an effort to crack down on dissent over the arrest and detention of undocumented Los Angeles-area residents by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Protests against ICE were sparked by federal efforts to round up undocumented workers in both downtown L.A. and the neighboring city of Paramount. Chaotic confrontations over the weekend saw demonstrators shutting down freeways in protest. Both police and federal agents fired tear gas and less-lethal projectiles into the crowds. Some violent agitators have been seen throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles.
As many as 700 Marines could reportedly be moving into Los Angeles as soon as Monday evening, from a battalion stationed at the nearby military base in Twentynine Palms, California. It is unclear what legal authority Trump would invoke to justify this deployment of active-duty military forces on American soil — a rare move in American history. Early reports suggest the troops would not engage directly with protesters, and would operate under U.S. Northern Command.
The deployment comes just days after Trump called up 2,000 members of the California National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles — over the objections of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. (These troops were deployed without providing for their accomodation, leading many to reportedly sleep on concrete floors.)
The state announced Monday that it is filing a lawsuit, seeking to have Trump’s commandeering of the state National Guard declared an “unlawful action.” In a press conference, state Attorney General Rob Bonta called Trump’s escalation “unnecessary” and “counter productive,” describing how it stoked new unrest in streets that local police and sheriff deputies had successfully calmed prior to his militarization.
Trump, meanwhile, has portrayed Los Angeles as a lawless hellscape that he “liberated” by ordering the National Guard to respond to the protests. The president claimed on Monday that the city would have been “completely obliterated” if he hadn’t taken action. Newsom and Bonta are among the local officials to slam Trump for exacerbating the unrest. Trump told reporters on Monday that it would be “great” if his administration arrested the California governor.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
