The administration of US President Donald Trump has deployed Marine forces to Los Angeles to quell street demonstrations against immigration raids, fueling public outrage amid concerns over a national crisis.
American media cited unnamed officials as saying that some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning as part of a federal strategy to crack down on street demonstrations opposing Trump’s immigration raids.
The US military had on Monday confirmed in a statement that it would send 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect what it claimed to be federal personnel and property.
“The activation of the Marines is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency,” the statement said.
The US Northern Command also confirmed that Marines, who were placed in an alert status over the weekend, “prepare to depart for the greater Los Angeles area June 9.”
The deployment, which is aimed at filling the gaps until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach Los Angeles, is an extraordinary use of military force to suppress demonstrations.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry out even more operations to round up suspected immigration violators, extending a crackdown that provoked the protests in the city with a large Latino population on Friday.
The Trump administration officials branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting undocumented immigrants with sanctuary cities.
California sued the Trump administration to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines on Monday, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty.
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was “gravely troubled” by Trump’s deployment of active-duty Marines.
“The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon. This unprecedented move threatens to turn a tense situation into a national crisis,” Reed said.
“Since our nation’s founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on US soil,” he said.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell also responded Monday afternoon to the possibility of the deployment of Marines in Los Angeles.
“The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,” McDonnell said in a statement.
“The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, has decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively. That said, our top priority is the safety of both the public and the officers on the ground. We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time.”
In a rare move on Saturday, Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard members to Los Angeles without a request from state or local officials, with about 300 troops arriving early Sunday morning in downtown Los Angeles.
California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, vocally opposed the federal intervention and demanded that Trump rescind the order, underlining that the move violates the state’s sovereignty.
