The Latest: Trump defends National Guard deployment as protests spread to other cities

Yahoo

a day ago

President Donald Trump is defending his decision to send Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to Los Angeles, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don't want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests.
Additional protests against immigration raids are expected to continue in other cities Tuesday.
Here's the latest:
Head of Marine Corps says battalion is in LA, ready to respond but has not engaged
The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, said the battalion deployed to Los Angeles is already there and ready to follow the orders from the U.S. Northern Command, but clarified they have not yet been called to respond.
Smith testified at a budget hearing before senators that those Marines are trained for crowd control, and they would have shields and batons as their equipment. He said they have no arrest authority, and are only there to protect federal property and federal personnel.
When asked by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumental, a Connecticut Democrat, about the danger that Marines would use lethal force that could result in injuries and deaths, Smith said he had faith in them.
'I am not concerned. I have great faith in my Marines and their junior leaders and their more senior leaders to execute the lawful tasks that they are given.'
Texas authorities appeared to use chemical irritants to disperse a crowd in Austin
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted on social media that 'more than a dozen protesters' were arrested by city and state police in Austin.
'Peaceful protesting is legal,' Abbott, a Republican, posted on X. 'But once you cross the line, you will be arrested.'
Hundreds of protestors organized by the Austin chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation gathered near the Capitol on Monday, and moved toward the federal building that houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. State officials had closed the Capitol to the public an hour earlier than usual head of the demonstration.
In Dallas, hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a rally on a city bridge for several hours before police later determined the rally to be 'unlawful.' Dallas police said one person was arrested and charges were pending.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis rails against California officials' handling of protests
DeSantis has often clashed with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who like DeSantis is a term-limited governor with national ambitions.
'You don't have the right to just simply opt out of federal immigration law. And I think what's happened in California is they're a sanctuary state. They've taken the position really uninterrupted for many, many years that they can just ignore the law, they don't have to cooperate. Well now you have the law being applied,' DeSantis said at a Florida Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
DeSantis said law enforcement officers in Florida are ready to crack down if demonstrations there boil over into riots.
'The minute you cross into attacking law enforcement, any type of rioting, any type of vandalism, looting, just be prepared to have the law come down on you,' DeSantis added. 'And we will make an example of you, you can guarantee it.'
Hegseth refuses to provide lawmakers details on costs of sending Marines to Los Angeles
In a back an forth with the defense appropriations subcommittee's top Democrat, Hegseth refused to answer basic questions on the cost of deploying Marines to Los Angeles, instead falling back on political talking points.
In a series of questions on the news that Marines would be sent to Los Angeles, House Appropriations defense subcommittee ranking member Rep. Betty McCollum told Hegseth 'this is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in,' she said. 'There's no need for the Marines to be deployed.'
McCollum asked what the cost of the deployment would be. Hegseth deflected on the costs, attacked the decisions of the previous Biden administration instead and talked about illegal immigration.
'Could the Secretary please address the budget' McCollum asked him.
Hegseth again refused to acknowledge McCollum's question and attacked the politics of the past administration again. McCollum took back her time and Hegseth was instructed by the committee chairman to provide the costs in writing instead.
California Democrats accuse Trump of inciting unrest
Democratic members of California's congressional delegation are accusing President Donald Trump of creating a 'manufactured crisis' in Los Angeles with his orders to send in thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines.
'It's a deliberate attempt by Trump to incite unrest, test the limits of executive power and distract from the lawlessness of his administration,' said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who organized a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday morning.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta said that Trump's decision to send in the military was designed to 'give him the image and give him the fight and give him the pictures that he wants.'
Panetta said the delegation would stand with peaceful protesters, but those who are not peaceful are going to pay the consequences.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi contrasted Trump's actions now with his handling of the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when law enforcement officers were being beaten.
'We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Pelosi said.
Trump links protests in Los Angeles to home rebuilding after wildfires
Trump said his decision to 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles spared the city from burning to the ground like thousands of homes after wildfires this year.
He wrote on his social media site that people want to rebuild, and that the federal permitting process is 'virtually complete on these houses.'
Trump claimed that 'the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE!' and blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
'People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!!' he wrote.
Pentagon draws up rules on possible use of force by Marines
The Pentagon was scrambling Monday to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil, now that the Trump administration is deploying active duty troops to the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles.
The forces have been trained in deescalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, Northern Command said.
But the use of the active duty forces still raises difficult questions.
The Marines are highly trained in combat and crisis response. But that is starkly different from the role they will face now: They could potentially be hit by protesters carrying gas canisters and have to quickly decide how to respond or face decisions about protecting an immigration enforcement agent from crowds.
According to a U.S. official, troops will be armed with their normal service weapons but will not be carrying tear gas. They also will have protective equipment such as helmets, shields and gas masks.
▶ Read more about the Pentagon's guidelines for the Marines
Los Angeles' image is scuffed since ICE raids and protests, with World Cup and Olympics on horizon
This isn't the image Los Angeles wanted projected around the globe.
Clouds of tear gas wafting over a throng of protesters on a blocked freeway. Federal immigration agents in tactical garb raiding businesses in search of immigrants without legal status. A messy war of words between Trump and Newsom. Photos captured several Waymo robotaxis set on fire and graffiti scrawled on a federal detention center building, while videos recorded the sounds of rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades hitting crowds.
In a city still reeling from January's deadly wildfires — and with the World Cup soccer championships and the 2028 Olympics on the horizon — Mayor Karen Bass has been urging residents to come together to revitalize LA's image by sprucing up streets, planting trees and painting murals so LA shows its best face to nations near and far.
'It's about pride,' she's said. 'This is the city of dreams.'
▶ Read more about the impact of the protests
Guard deployment is a nearly unprecedented escalation
The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts.
Protesters clasp hands in front of a line of California National Guard, Monday, June 9, 2025, at a Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo Jae Hong)
The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.'
Early protests remained peaceful
On Monday, thousands flooded the streets around City Hall for a union rally ahead of a hearing for arrested labor leader David Huerta, who was freed a few hours later on a $50,000 bond. Huerta's arrest Friday while protesting immigration raids has become a rallying cry for people angry over the administration's crackdown. He is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of the state's janitors, security officers and other workers.
Early protests had a calm and even joyful atmosphere at times, with people dancing to live music and buoyed by Huerta's release.
Protesters linked hands in front of a line of police officers outside the downtown federal detention center where Huerta was being held. Religious leaders joined the protesters, working with organizers at times to de-escalate moments of tension.
There was a heavy law enforcement presence in the few square blocks, while most in the immense city of some 4 million people went about their normal business on peaceful streets.
Trump sends Marines and more National Guard members to Los Angeles
Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines are headed to Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump, escalating a military presence local officials and Newsom don't want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests.
An initial 2,000 Guard troops ordered by Trump started arriving Sunday, which saw the most violence during three days of protests.
Monday's demonstrations were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city.
Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don't need the help.
Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X.
▶ Read more about the deployment of more National Guard members
The Associated Press