Pentagon Deploys Marines Amid Los Angeles Immigration Protests \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Roughly 700 U.S. Marines are being deployed to Los Angeles to support National Guard troops responding to immigration protests. California has filed a lawsuit against President Trump, arguing the deployment violates state sovereignty. Demonstrations and arrests continue across the region.
Quick Looks
- Pentagon deploying 700 Marines to support LA National Guard.
- Deployment follows days of immigration raids and protests.
- California sues President Trump over federal troop orders.
- Gov. Newsom: “Trump wants chaos and is instigating violence.”
- Protesters clashed with law enforcement; dozens arrested.
- Smoke, graffiti, and burned vehicles mar downtown LA.
- Marines arriving from Twentynine Palms military base.
- Federal troops deployed without governor’s request — a rare move.
- Trump: “City would be obliterated without the Guard.”
- Immigration arrests in LA surpass 100 since Friday.
Deep Look
The U.S. Department of Defense is deploying approximately 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles as protests over immigration enforcement continue to escalate across California’s largest city. The Marines are arriving from Twentynine Palms, a vast military installation in the Southern California desert, according to three U.S. officials speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of operational details.
This surge of federal military personnel, combined with the ongoing arrival of 2,000 National Guard troops, follows three volatile days of mass protests, property damage, and arrests tied to President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies. The situation has rapidly transformed from a local demonstration into a constitutional and legal clash between federal and state authority.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state has filed a lawsuit against President Trump, claiming the National Guard deployment violates state sovereignty and was implemented without consent. “We don’t take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizing California National Guard troops,” Bonta said Monday, accusing Trump of inciting the protests and seeking a restraining order to halt further troop deployment.
Tensions boiled over Sunday after protesters set fire to multiple self-driving vehicles, clashed with California Highway Patrol officers, and vandalized public buildings, including City Hall. Downtown Los Angeles was blanketed with tear gas and smoke by evening. The protests — originally sparked by immigration raids at workplaces and public spaces — have now evolved into a broader condemnation of militarized immigration enforcement and executive overreach.
President Trump, speaking at a White House event Monday, defended the decision, declaring, “The city would have been completely obliterated if I hadn’t acted.” On Truth Social, he later urged Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell to crack down harder: “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!”
The legality of Trump’s deployment is now under review. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, this is the first time since 1965 that a president has deployed National Guard troops without a state governor’s request, invoking a federal statute related to rebellion. Critics say the move sets a dangerous precedent and tramples on state authority.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who visited Los Angeles Sunday, urged the president to rescind the order and called the action a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” He warned protesters to remain peaceful and not give Trump the “excuse he’s looking for.”
Despite calls for calm, violence broke out Sunday night when demonstrators hurled concrete, scooters, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails at officers. The Guard deployment focused on securing federal buildings, including the downtown immigration detention center, a key protest target. Police fired smoke and crowd-control munitions after protesters blocked freeways and vandalized property. The LAPD described being “overwhelmed” by organized agitators who turned out to provoke confrontations.
One demonstrator, a union leader named David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was arrested Friday and charged with conspiracy to impede an officer. His arrest galvanized protests, and thousands gathered Monday in a park near City Hall to call for his release and denounce ICE. Huerta’s court appearance was expected Monday afternoon.
Elsewhere, families of those detained during Friday’s raids — including at a clothing warehouse and Home Depot locations — held news conferences demanding answers. One man, Jacob Vasquez, was reportedly taken into custody without contact or updates provided to his family. “Jacob is a family man and the sole breadwinner,” his brother told reporters.
Over the weekend, more than 100 immigrants were arrested in what federal officials described as a coordinated enforcement sweep. Authorities have yet to disclose whether more workplace raids are planned.
Protests have now spread beyond Los Angeles, with San Francisco police arresting over 150 people for refusing to disperse. Vandalism and property damage were reported there as well.
As of midday Monday, about 1,000 National Guard troops were already deployed, with the remaining authorized 2,000 expected by nightfall. The Marines’ deployment, a major escalation, marks a rare domestic mobilization of U.S. military forces during peacetime to control a civilian protest.
Though officials stress the Marines are supporting National Guard personnel and not engaging in law enforcement, the optics are stark. Armed Marines in full gear patrolling city streets highlight the extreme nature of the administration’s immigration crackdown — and have sparked criticism across civil liberties groups and political leaders.
In a statement, the Pentagon confirmed the deployment but said it remained “focused on securing federal assets and infrastructure.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also been placed on standby.
With more protests expected in Los Angeles and across the U.S. this week, all eyes are now on federal courts and the unfolding legal battle between California and the White House. The clash is as much about immigration policy as it is about state rights, military limits, and the future of civil protest in the United States.
Pentagon Deploys Marines
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