Marines ending Los Angeles deployment, Pentagon says
'With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: Lawlessness will not be tolerated,' said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
Trump deployed the Marines and California National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June, against the wishes of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, to quell protests triggered by immigration raids on workplaces by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Despite legal challenges, a U.S. appeals court let Trump retain control of California's National Guard.
Trump's decision to send troops into Los Angeles prompted a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and inflamed political tension in the country's second-most-populous city.
The Pentagon has defended the deployment, saying that safeguarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ensures they can do their jobs, and praised the Marines on Monday.
'Their rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law,' Parnell said.
Trump has vowed to deport millions of people in the country illegally and has executed raids at work sites including farms that had been largely exempted from enforcement during his first term. The administration has faced dozens of lawsuits across the country challenging its tactics.
Trump has increasingly turned to the military in his immigration crackdown.
In addition to sending troops to Los Angeles, thousands of active-duty troops have been deployed to the border with Mexico, and the Pentagon has created military zones in the border area.
The zones are intended to allow the Trump administration to use troops to detain migrants without invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act that empowers a president to deploy the U.S. military to suppress events such as civil disorder.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
14 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
US government investigates Duke University in latest federal funding threat
US President Donald Trump's administration has initiated an investigation into Duke University and the Duke Law Journal over allegations of race-related discrimination, making it the latest US university to face threat of cuts to federal funding. The government said on Monday it will investigate whether the Duke Law Journal's selection of editors gives preferences to candidates from minority communities. 'The investigation is based on recent reporting alleging Duke University discriminates on the bases of race, colour and/or national origin by using the factors to select law journal members,' the education department said. Education secretary Linda McMahon and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr sent a letter to the university's leadership alleging what the government called 'the use of race preferences in Duke's hiring, admissions and scholarship decisions'. The letter urged the university to review its policies and create a panel 'with delegated authority from Duke's board of trustees to enable Duke and the federal government to move quickly towards a mutual resolution of Duke's alleged civil rights violations'. Duke had no immediate comment. Rights advocates have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the Trump administration's attempted crackdown against universities. The New York Times reported on Monday Harvard University has signalled a willingness to spend as much as $500m (R8.9bn) to end its dispute with the Trump administration, more than twice what Columbia University agreed to pay last week to resolve federal investigations. The report, which cited sources, said negotiators were discussing the financial details of the Harvard deal and Harvard opposed allowing an outside monitor to oversee the deal, considering that a red line. The government has threatened federal funding cuts against universities and schools over climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel's war in Gaza and diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. Brown University has secured a $500m loan amid federal cuts to research and financial aid in recent months, according to a regulatory filing. A US official told Reuters in April the Trump administration would block $510m (R9.1bn) in grants for Brown. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on grounds of race in education programmes receiving federal funding. The government said in April it was investigating whether Harvard and the Harvard Law Review violated civil rights laws when the journal's editors fast-tracked consideration of an article written by a member of a racial minority. Harvard is legally challenging the government to have its frozen federal funding restored. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that groups such as white people and men face discrimination due to diversity, equity and inclusion. Rights groups have dismissed the claim, saying diversity, equity and inclusion addresses historic inequities against marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities.
TimesLIVE
44 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres
US President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in Gaza and suggested Israel could do more on humanitarian access as Palestinians struggled to feed their children a day after Israel declared steps to improve supplies. As the death toll from two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities said, with images of starving children shocking the world and fuelling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions. Describing starvation in Gaza as real, Trump's assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday 'there is no starvation in Gaza' and vowed to fight on against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a statement he reposted on X on Monday. However, Netanyahu later on Monday described the situation in Gaza as 'difficult', saying his country was working to ensure aid delivery to the besieged strip.
The Citizen
44 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Trump contradicts Netanyahu, Palestinians in Gaza facing 'real starvation'
Donald Trump said images of hungry children show 'real starvation' that one can't 'fake'. US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) US President Donald Trump has contradicted Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Palestinians in Gaza are facing real starvation. His remarks came after Netanyahu declared on Sunday that 'there is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza.' Trump rejected these claims and said images of hungry children show 'real starvation' that one can't 'fake'. Gaza starvation Aid agencies have for months been saying that an Israeli blockade on the supply of food, fuel, and medication is killing Palestinians in the enclave. The United States already backs food centres under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but the UN says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops while trying to access these and other humanitarian aid sites. ALSO READ: Israel accused of starving Gaza 'by design' — South Africa addresses ICJ No 'bold-faced lie' Asked on Monday if he agreed with Netanyahu that it was a 'bold-faced lie' to say Israel was fuelling hunger in Gaza, Trump said television shows another side to what the Israeli Prime minister had uttered. 'I don't know, I mean, based on television I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry, but we're giving a lot of money and a lot of food and other nations are now stepping up, I know that this nation [Scotland] is.' Reporter: Netanyahu said there is no starvation in Gaza. Do you agree with him? Trump: I don't know. Based on television, I would say not particularly — Acyn (@Acyn) July 28, 2025 'Gaza is a mess' Speaking during a meeting with UK Prime minister Keir Starmer, Trump said: 'Nobody's done anything great over there. The whole place is a mess… I told Israel maybe they have to do it a different way.' His comments followed the UN's humanitarian chief's statement that 'vast amounts' of food were needed to avert starvation. War deaths Israel's war in Gaza has killed 59,921 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The Hamas 7 October 2023, attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. ALSO READ: Israeli strikes kill children collecting water in Gaza
