US deploys Marines to Los Angeles as Trump backs arrest of California governor

CNA

a day ago

LOS ANGELES: 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 Sep 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 HW 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.