Marines ordered by Trump to LA start deploying
The first US Marines ordered by Donald Trump to Los Angeles will deploy Friday, the Pentagon said, raising the stakes in a standoff that pits the president against protesters claiming growing authoritarianism.
The approximately 200 Marines are part of a group of 700 set to join 4,000 National Guard soldiers, while local police conduct a crackdown on unrest over Trump's sweeps for undocumented migrants.
The Marines -- normally used as crack troops in foreign conflicts -- will be equipped with riot gear to guard a federal building starting from 12:00 pm (1900 GMT), Major General Scott Sherman told reporters.
An intense legal battle is underway over Trump's authority to deploy troops on US soil, as the country braces for widespread protests Saturday, when the Republican will be overseeing a rare large-scale military parade in Washington.
The parade celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Army but also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday and will be the first time tanks and other heavy weaponry has rolled through the capital city in three decades.
A "No Kings" movement has sprung up promising to stage protests in more than 2,000 places across the country in response.
Trump dispatched about the California National Guard to Los Angeles last weekend following mostly peaceful, but occasionally violent protests against a surge in immigration raids in the second-largest US city.
In a show of political force, Trump overrode the objections of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom who usually would control the Guard. The president repeatedly exaggerated the scale of violence, claiming that without troops, Los Angeles would be "burning to the ground right now."
Late Thursday, District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump's actions were "illegal" and ordered that he return control of the guard to Newsom. Breyer said the LA unrest fell "far short" of the "rebellion" that Trump had described.
However, a higher court quickly paused the order pending an appeal hearing with the Trump administration next Tuesday.
The Department of Justice slammed Breyer's ruling as "an extraordinary intrusion on the President's constitutional authority as Commander in Chief."
The dispute mirrors multiple other tussles over Trump's attempts to expand the limits of presidential power, but is the first to involve troops.
The use of Marines is especially controversial, although those deploying Friday will be at a building nowhere near the site of last week's protests.
- 'Voices for the people' -
Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country.
Outrage at Trump's raids and the use of masked, armed immigration agents backed by uniformed soldiers has already sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas.
"What brings me out here? The people that were taken, people who don't have voices. We are the voice for the people," Jasmine, a protester in Los Angeles, told AFP on Thursday.
Tensions hiked further Thursday when California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The incident "reeks of totalitarianism," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, calling for an investigation.
The White House hit back, claiming despite video evidence to the contrary, that Padilla "lunged toward Secretary Noem."
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"It is a very natural thing for an incoming government to engage in a review of this kind. It is actually exactly what we did. That's what the Trump administration are doing, we welcome it and we'll engage with it." Opposition Defence spokesman Angus Taylor, who was on the USS America as it made its way though the Sydney Heads, also stressed the critical nature of the US alliance. However he additionally emphasised the importance of adequate funding to support the objectives of the AUKUS. "We call on the government to make sure they engage with the United States to ensure AUKUS is successful into the future," Mr Taylor said. The AUKUS pact is aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. A key component of the pact is the provision for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a capability deemed essential by the government for bolstering national security. Under the $368 billion submarine program, Australia is set to acquire at least three nuclear-powered Virginia-class subs from the US in the early 2030s before a new fleet is built for delivery from the 2040s. Australia has already demonstrated its commitment to the AUKUS partnership, paying almost $800 million to the US in February - the first of a number of payments - to help boost its submarine production. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Australia on Friday for the G7 summit in Canada but it is unclear if he will be able to secure a meeting with President Trump while there. Mr Albanese previously rebuffed calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Doubts over Australia's submarine deal with the US have been hosed down by the deputy prime minister. Richard Marles again doused concerns about the future of the three-nation pact also involving the United Kingdom, as the Trump administration reviews AUKUS. The Pentagon is considering whether the agreement aligns with Donald Trump's "America First" agenda. Mr Marles on Saturday drew a parallel to Australia's own defence reviews that occur with changes in government, suggesting similar evaluations are a normal part of alliances. His comments follow the arrival of the USS America in Sydney on a goodwill visit on Saturday. "When we came to government, we did a review of our defence posture ... AUKUS was a key part of that, just as the British did when the new British Labor government came into power in July last year," Mr Marles told reporters in Geelong. "It is a very natural thing for an incoming government to engage in a review of this kind. It is actually exactly what we did. That's what the Trump administration are doing, we welcome it and we'll engage with it." Opposition Defence spokesman Angus Taylor, who was on the USS America as it made its way though the Sydney Heads, also stressed the critical nature of the US alliance. However he additionally emphasised the importance of adequate funding to support the objectives of the AUKUS. "We call on the government to make sure they engage with the United States to ensure AUKUS is successful into the future," Mr Taylor said. The AUKUS pact is aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. A key component of the pact is the provision for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a capability deemed essential by the government for bolstering national security. Under the $368 billion submarine program, Australia is set to acquire at least three nuclear-powered Virginia-class subs from the US in the early 2030s before a new fleet is built for delivery from the 2040s. Australia has already demonstrated its commitment to the AUKUS partnership, paying almost $800 million to the US in February - the first of a number of payments - to help boost its submarine production. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Australia on Friday for the G7 summit in Canada but it is unclear if he will be able to secure a meeting with President Trump while there. Mr Albanese previously rebuffed calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
