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The Intercept
a day ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump Deploys Marines to a 'Manufactured Crisis,' Defense Official Says
Marines are headed to Los Angeles as the Trump administration ratchets up tensions that threaten to turn largely peaceful protests there into a full-blown crisis. It's a rare and aggressive step to involve active-duty troops in civilian law enforcement activities. A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, called the activation of the Marines a 'provocation' designed to foster to a 'manufactured crisis.' Experts question the legality of the mobilization of the Marines. On Saturday, President Donald Trump took the already extraordinary action of calling up more than 2,000 National Guard troops to tamp down demonstrations in California. In doing so, he exercised rarely used federal powers that bypassed Gov. Gavin Newsom's authority. He followed it up two days later with an even more extreme move. While it is unclear under what authority Trump and the Defense Department did so, U.S. Northern Command activated 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, assigned to Twentynine Palms, California. They are being shipped out to support Task Force 51 — a deployable command post used in crisis response — 'who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,' according to a statement issued by NORTHCOM. 'The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented — mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,' Newsom's office said in a statement. 'Military presence is not needed. The state is already working with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump's mess,' Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, told The Intercept by email. Experts say that the introduction of the Marines further strains civil-military relations and risks violation of the Posse Comitatus Act: a bedrock 19th-century law seen as fundamental to the democratic tradition in America. The Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement. 'This is obviously an extreme escalation that is going to pour gasoline on an already combustible situation.' 'This is obviously an extreme escalation that is going to pour gasoline on an already combustible situation,' said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Brennan Center's liberty and national security program. 'It's almost inevitable that the Marines are going to be laying hands on civilians and exercising the kinds of coercive powers that would normally be illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act.' The Trump administration is attempting to justify its escalatory tactics by claiming people protesting his anti-immigration agenda constitute a rebellion or threaten to become one. The directive signed by Trump, calling up the Guard, cites '10 U.S.C. 12406,' a provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services that allows the federal deployment of National Guard forces if 'there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' 'Task Force 51 is now comprised of approximately 2,100 National Guard soldiers in a Title 10 status and 700 active-duty Marines,' according to NORTHCOM and have 'been trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and standing rules for the use of force.' The Marines 'have the same task and purpose as the National Guard,' said another defense official who spoke with The Intercept on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely. 'You can think of them as an additional force to do the same thing. They just happen to be active-duty Marines. But all of the troops in total who are doing this are all activated under Title 10.' Goitein disputes that Marines can be employed under the same authority as the National Guard. 'Legally, they can't rely on the same authority. They're not in the same position legally,' she said. Title '10 U.S.C. 12406 applies to the National Guard. It doesn't apply to the active-duty armed forces.' Goitein also pointed to the cultural difference and the public perceptions that separate National Guard troops from the active-duty armed forces. 'Active-duty troops, like these Marines, are full-time professional soldiers. The National Guard, at least historically, have been citizen-soldiers who are in their communities during the week and training on weekends,' she told The Intercept. 'For Californians, Los Angelenos, who are facing these Marines, it feels different and to some degree it is different.' A few hundred of the 2,000 National Guard troops called up to serve in Los Angeles are already in the city as federal agents and people protesting immigration raids faced off for a fourth day on Monday. Protests, as of the afternoon, were largely orderly and peaceful. 'Mobilizing Marines against their neighbors is a profoundly dangerous escalation. This deployment is plainly illegal, and it points to the reason why we have laws against these deployments in the first place,' Sara Haghdoosti, the executive director of Win Without War, told The Intercept. 'Not only is it an authoritarian power grab, it also threatens the physical health of people exercising their constitutional rights to protest and to the moral health of Marines now ordered to suppress those rights.'
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
California will sue Trump over ‘unlawful, unprecedented' National Guard deployment
California officials on Monday said they would file a federal lawsuit over the mobilization of the state's National Guard during the weekend's massive immigration protests in Los Angeles, accusing President Trump of overstepping his federal authority and violating the U.S. Constitution. As thousands of people gathered in the streets to protest raids and arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Trump mobilized nearly 2,000 members of the National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said Trump was sowing chaos in the streets for political purposes. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said the lawsuit will accuse Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of violating the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which spells out the limits of federal power. Bonta and Newsom will ask a federal judge to set aside the 'unlawful, unpredecented' deployment of the National Guard. 'Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law, and not one we take lightly,' Bonta said in a statement. The California lawsuit follows days of protests and some violent clashes between protesters, local police and federal officials following the ICE raids. Local officials have decried vandalism and burglaries during the protests, but have defended the right of Angelenos to peacefully demonstrate against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement. Trump officials said the military mobilization is legal under Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services, which gives the president the authority to call up the National Guard if there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.' Such a move is exceedingly rare. The last time the White House sent the National Guard into a state without a request from the governor was six decades ago, when President Lyndon B. Johnson mobilized troops in Alabama to defend civil rights demonstrators in 1965. Bonta's office said the last time that Title 10 was invoked was 1970, when President Richard Nixon mobilized the National Guard to deliver the mail during a U.S. Postal Service strike. Trump has said that the mobilization was 'a great decision' necessary to 'deal with the violent, instigated riots in California,' and that if he hadn't mobilized the forces, 'Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.' Tom Homan, the Trump administration's 'border czar,' said the action was 'about enforcing the law' amid assaults on federal authorities. 'We're not going to apologize for doing it,' Homan said. 'We're stepping up.' On Saturday, Newsom's office sent a formal letter to the Trump administration asking them to rescind their deployment of troops. The letter described the mobilization as 'a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation, while simultaneously depriving the state from deploying these personnel and resources where they are truly required.' In interviews and social media posts, Newsom put a finer point on it, saying the escalating tensions that followed the National Guard mobilization was 'exactly what Donald Trump wanted.' Newsom has warned that the executive order that Trump signed applies to other states as well as to California, which will 'allow him to go into any state and do the same thing.' This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
National Guard on Scene Following Los Angeles Protests: Police
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) Central Division reported on Sunday that the National Guard is in the city and has set up at federal buildings, including the Civic Center area, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter. Why It Matters The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday evening that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after reported violence against law enforcement, specifically, ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city. While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles." The raids in Paramount, Los Angeles County, followed similar action in locations through other parts of the city on Friday, during which police arrested at least 44 people. Some protesters have thrown rocks at officers, with one allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail, and burning items in the streets. Police responded with tear gas. The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority. National Guard troops stand outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 8 in Los Angeles. National Guard troops stand outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 8 in Los To Know Trump announced that he had mobilized the National Guard on Saturday night, citing 10 U.S.C. 12406, a specific provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services that allows the federal deployment of National Guard forces if "there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." Trump wrote in his order: "Numerous incidents of violence and disorder have recently occurred and threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws. In addition, violent protests threaten the security of and significant damage to Federal immigration detention facilities and other Federal property." The order continued: "To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States." Despite mobilizing the National Guard on Saturday evening, troops did not arrive until Sunday morning, well after the protests had ended for the day. LAPD Central Division on Sunday wrote on X that the National Guard had been deployed to federal facilities, stressing that "everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions. However, vandalizing property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful." "Officers are deployed and monitoring activities in the Civic Center area," the police added. Good Morning DTLA‼️ National Guard has been deployed to Federal Facilities. Everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions. However, vandalizing property and attempting to seriously injure officers, whether Federal or LAPD, is not peaceful.… — LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) June 8, 2025 What People Are Saying Border czar Tom Homan on Fox News on Saturday said: "We're already mobilizing. We're gonna bring the National Guard in tonight and we're gonna continue doing our job. This is about enforcing the law." He added: "American people, this is about enforcing the law, and again, we're not going to apologize for doing it." California Governor Gavin Newsom on X following Trump's National Guard announcement: "The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need." He added: "The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust." President Donald Trump on Truth Social wrote on Saturday: "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" What Happens Next? Protesters have gathered for a third day as law enforcement continues to ramp up its operations.
