Marines deployed to LA, Trump backs arrest of governor
The US 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 US 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 US 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.
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.
Trump could deploy Marines under certain conditions of law or under 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. Reuters could not immediately confirm that a lawsuit had been filed.
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 as unlawful.
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 do away with green-energy initiatives.
'We need the One Big, Beautiful Bill to pass ASAP!' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. ON GUARD
US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. The Department of Homeland Security said the Guard's mission was to protect federal buildings.
On Monday, law enforcement officers stood at intersections surrounding the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, which houses the detention facility where many detained immigrants were sent after ICE actions in Los Angeles neighbourhoods.
Some National Guard troops stood at the vehicle entrance to the detention centre. Anti-ICE graffiti covered walls and windows of the federal building and teams worked to cover the slogans with paint.
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 ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
For Democrats, lacking 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
NATO needs 400% increase in air and missile defence, Rutte will say in London
By Reuters NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. Photo: AFP / Simon Wohlfahrt NATO secretary general Mark Rutte will use a speech in London on Monday to say the military alliance needs a 400 percent increase in air and missile defence, one of the priorities for a summit of members in the Hague later this month. Rutte is pushing for members to boost defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and commit a further 1.5 percent to broader security-related spending to meet US President Donald Trump's demand for a 5 percent target. Last month, he said he assumed that target would be agreed at the summit on June 24-25. Rutte will argue in a speech at London's Chatham House think tank that for NATO to maintain credible deterrence and defence, it needs "a 400 percent increase in air and missile defence". "We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies," he will say, according to extracts of his speech provided by his office. "The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full. The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends." With little let up in fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine despite ceasefire calls, European countries are under pressure to raise defence spending after Trump signalled a shift in policy, pushing for the region to better protect itself. Several countries say they are doing so, with Britain pledging an increase from 2.3 percent to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027 and 3 percent of GDP at a later date. Germany has said it will need roughly 50,000 to 60,000 additional active soldiers under new NATO targets. - Reuters
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Why Trump's move toward using the military on US soil is so fraught
Analysis by Aaron Blake , CNN Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT The country hangs on a hugely significant precipice, as President Donald Trump moves toward making good on his long-running suggestions of an extraordinary step: deploying the military on US soil. About 700 Marines have now been mobilized to join the National Guard in Los Angeles to deal with demonstrations over federal immigration raids, CNN reports. The Marines were previously on "ready to deploy" status. (It is still unclear what their specific task will be once in Los Angeles, sources told CNN. And like the National Guard troops, they are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity such as making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act.) But to hear the White House tell it, this show of force is not just the right thing to do but also a political winner. Responding to a poll showing 54% of Americans approved of Trump's deportation program , White House spokesman Steven Cheung wrote on X Sunday, "And the approval number will be even higher after the national guard was sent to LA to beat back the violence this weekend." But whether the American people actually want this military activation isn't nearly so clear. Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT In fact, they've rejected such things in the past. The administration may be making a huge gamble on the American people's tolerance for a heavy-handed federal response. And while Americans might not have much sympathy for the demonstrators in Los Angeles who engage in violence or for undocumented immigrants, recent surveys have shown they often say Trump goes too far in his attempts to address such problems. There is something of an analog for the current situation. It came in 2020 when federal law enforcement suddenly moved to clear Lafayette Square, near the White House, of racial justice demonstrators, resulting in violent scenes. This wasn't the military, but it was controversial - in part because Trump then walked across the square with military leaders for a photo-op. (Then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper also resisted Trump's suggestions of using active-duty military at the time.) The American people did not like what they saw. A USA Today/Ipsos poll conducted a week later showed 63% of Americans opposed the use of rubber bullets and tear gas that day. It also showed Americans opposed deploying military forces in other states by 10 points, 51-41%. Similarly a CNN poll conducted by SSRS at the time asked a broader question - whether it would be appropriate for a president to "deploy the U.S. military in response to protests in the United States." Americans said this would be "inappropriate" by a wide margin, 60-36%. All of which suggest Americans are predisposed to viewing such actions skeptically. US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Getty Images/CNN Newsource These numbers come with caveats, though. The CNN poll question is a great window into how this could be received. But it's possible people's views have shifted or could shift with circumstances, including the role the Marines end up playing in Los Angeles. Back in 2020, the racial justice protests were relatively popular, and people didn't view them as particularly violent. Americans sympathized with the cause, believing George Floyd had been murdered by police. It's too early to tell how people view the demonstrators in Los Angeles. And the plight of the undocumented immigrants whom the administration is trying to deport is probably less sympathetic than the racial justice protesters' cause. (Clear majorities generally support deporting undocumented immigrants, who are in this country without authorization.) But when it comes to the administration's immigration crackdown, Americans have also expressed nuanced feelings. And the poll the White House cited this weekend is a case in point. In the CBS News/YouGov survey, which was conducted before Saturday's protests broke out in Los Angeles, Americans said they approved of Trump's deportation program, 54-46%. They also liked its "goals," 55-45%. But that's not quite the same as saying they approved of the administration's actions, full stop. The same poll asked whether people liked "the way you think [Trump] is going about" the deportations. And there, Americans actually disliked his approach by double-digits, 56-44%. While independents were about evenly split on Trump's deportation program, they disliked how he's gone about it by 30 points, 65-35%. A protestor at a rally in Washington, DC, United States, on 1 May, 2025. Photo: AASHISH KIPHAYET / NurPhoto via AFP This is a dichotomy we see in lots of polling of Trump's deportation actions. Americans like the idea of mass deportation, but not so much the implementation. They like the president a lot on securing the border. But they like him significantly less on "immigration," and they like him even less when "deportation," specifically, is invoked in the question. One possible reason: Americans see the administration moving haphazardly. That could most notably be the case with things like deporting the wrong people and actions that have been halted by the courts, including ones in which judges have said people haven't been given enough due process. It's possible that people could come to sympathize with the cause of the Los Angeles protesters - if not the violent ones - at least to some degree. While Americans generally favor mass deportation, those numbers decline significantly when you mention the prospect of deporting otherwise-law-abiding people with jobs and those who have been in this country for a long time. (For example, a recent Pew Research Center poll showed Americans opposed deporting undocumented immigrants who have jobs, 56-41%, and they opposed deporting the parents of US citizen children 60-37%.) But the raids that set off the protests have been directed at workplaces generally - not necessarily at criminals or gang members. The Department of Homeland Security has claimed at least five of the people arrested during Sunday immigration sweeps in Los Angeles had criminal convictions or were accused of crimes. Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT Through it all, the administration has made a rather Machiavellian political calculation: that however much people dislike the means, their support for the ends will carry the day. Maybe people say they don't like the lack of due process the administration has provided - or the wrong people getting sent to a brutal Salvadoran prison - but how much do they really care if the end result is lots of deportations? Similarly, the administration could be making the calculation that scenes of violence in Los Angeles could marshal support for a previously unthinkable step of deploying the military domestically against protesters - something Americans opposed by 24 points just five years ago. So much depends on what the Marines end up doing in Los Angeles and whether Trump invokes the Insurrection Act to allow them to engage in policing activities. But the Trump administration has clearly gone too far for people before as part of their deportation efforts. And the one big crackdown on protesters we have seen in the Trump era didn't go well. - CNN
National Business Review
3 hours ago
- National Business Review
China-US talks in London; Warner Bros Discovery to split in two
Ata mārie and welcome to your Tuesday recap of the top business and political stories making news around the world. First up, multiple media outlets are providing updates on a new round of talks between economic superpowers the United States and China in London to resolve the trade war. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer represented US President Donald Trump. The BBC said the delegation met with Chinese representatives, including Vice Premier He Lifeng at Lancaster House. Chinese exports of rare earth minerals crucial for technology components, as well as China's access to US computer chips, were expected to be high on the agenda. Last month, both countries scaled back their hefty reciprocal trade tariffs, but accused each other of breaching the deal. Last week, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone and agreed to resolve tariff disputes. Trump acknowledged the trade relationship with China had got 'a little off track'. Chinese President Xi Jinping. Al Jazeera reported that California filed legal action against the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles because of protests over immigration raids. California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused Trump of trying to 'manufacture chaos and crisis' on the ground. 'Federalising the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law – and not one we take lightly. We're asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order.' Meanwhile, business leaders walked back on fears of an economic recession in the US, which had originally increased after Trump's tariff announcement, CNBC reported. In a new survey, fewer than 30% of chief executives predicted a mild or severe recession over the next six months, down from 46% in May, and 62% in April. In financial news, OpenAI hit US$10 billion in annual recurring revenue, less than three years after launching its ChatGPT chatbot, CNBC reported. OpenAI targeted US$125b revenue by 2029, according to sources. OpenAI said it supported 500 million weekly active users, while it had three million business users, up from two million in February. Elsewhere, Bloomberg has an exclusive story that the investment banking arm of Barclays could cut more than 200 jobs to boost profitability. Sources said staff within investment banking, global markets, and research could be affected by the cuts. Meanwhile, media giant Warner Bros Discovery has decided to split its business in two publicly traded companies, the Guardian reported. One company would be focused on streaming and studios, while the other would focus on the legacy television network businesses. 'The separation aims to provide each company with greater strategic flexibility and focus,' WBD said. The corporate split was expected by mid-2026, CNN reported. CNN is part of the Warner Bros Discovery stable. Finally, technology company Apple unveiled a new operating system interface called Liquid Glass at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Bloomberg reported. Executive Alan Dye said the product would operate across its products and described it as the broadest design update in the history of the company. Meanwhile, Apple also confirmed plans to open its artificial intelligence models to outside developers. That would allow app creators to weave the technology into their own software.
