Pentagon deploys 700 Marines, more National Guard to LA amid ICE protests
The Brief
The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.
The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.
The move comes after President Donald Trump over the weekend sent the federal National Guard to LA to deter anti-ICE protests in Southern California.
LOS ANGELES - The Pentagon plans to deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles in the coming hours to help National Guard members respond to immigration protests, three U.S. officials said Monday.
The Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will work with the National Guard troops on the ground to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command says.
The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.
The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.
Northern Command said the forces will be under Task Force 51, commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, deputy commander of U.S. Army North.
The move comes after President Donald Trump over the weekend sent 2,000 federal National Guard troops to LA to deter anti-ICE protests in Southern California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a social media post on Monday evening, said he was told Trump had ordered an additional 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to the region.
What they're saying
Monday marks the fourth consecutive day of protests in LA, where thousands crowded streets, including the 101 freeway, over the weekend.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday formally asked Trump to remove the National Guard from LA, calling the deployment "unlawful."
In a letter to Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth, the governor said California did not have a problem "until Trump got involved."
In San Francisco on Sunday, police said they arrested nearly 150 people during anti-ICE protests. Police said the majority of those arrested were later cited and released.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said during a news conference on Monday that his priority is to protect everyone in the city. He decried the "tactics being used across the country to target immigrant communities."
The mayor, however, said violence will not be tolerated in San Francisco.
"But let me also be clear. We will not tolerate violent and destructive behavior, and we will never tolerate violence directed at law enforcement or city workers," Lurie said.
READ: San Francisco police arrest nearly 150 during anti-ICE demonstrations
What we know
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced two new lawsuits against the Trump administration over federal officials impeding the state's sovereignty with the deployment of the National Guard.
Bonta said the lawsuit, which names Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, outlines why the takeover violates the U.S. Constitution and exceeds the president's Title 10 authority, not only because the takeover occurred without the consent or input of the governor, as federal law requires, but also because it was unwarranted.
"Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion," Bonta said. "The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing 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."
Under the California Constitution, Bonta said that Gov. Newsom is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard.
Bonta also filed a second lawsuit against the Trump administration, where he was joined by attorneys general in Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island, and in spirit with 20 attorneys general across the United States.
This suit involves what Bonta calls Trump "unlawfully imposing immigration enforcement requirements" on billions of dollars in annual U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants.
"The president doesn't have the authority to coerce state and local governments into using their resources for immigration enforcement," Bonta said. "This is a blatantly illegal attempt to bully states into enacting Trump's inhumane and illogical immigration agenda. Once again, Trump's actions go beyond the scope of his presidential power."
The Associated Press reported that immigration agents were seen Monday morning at a Home Depot store in Huntington Park, along with a library parking lot and City Hall in nearby Whittier.
During an unrelated event on Monday, Trump addressed the protests in Southern California.
"Thank goodness we sent out some wonderful National Guard," he said.
Trump criticized California leaders by saying "they were afraid of doing anything."
"We sent out the troops, and they've done a fantastic job."
An estimated 1,000 National Guard troops were on the ground in LA by Monday morning, with that number expected to double by the end of the day.
The Guard troops are part of the new Task Force 51, under the control of Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who is the deputy commander of U.S. Army North, the AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Source
The Associated Press, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, SFPD and previous reporting.
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