At least 700 Marines are on their way to Los Angeles along with 2,000 more National Guard troops as the streets descend into violence and lawlessness.
Their deployment comes as Downtown Los Angeles braces for a fourth night of riots as pro-migrant protesters take to the streets to rail against federal immigration agents and President Donald Trump‘s ambitious deportation agenda.
These troops are tasked with defending federal assets and personnel, including the federal immigration agents at the center of the conflict.
Harrowing scenes over the weekend saw demonstrators torch cars, attack authorities with fireworks, bricks of cement and tear gas and destroy infrastructure – even as state officials tried to maintain the 6,000 protests were primarily peaceful.
Police have been shooting rubber bullets into agitated crowds in an effort to quell the violence, which first kicked off on Friday on the back of a series of coordinated ICE raids across the city and sparked mass road closures and sweeping ‘unlawful assembly’ orders across the entirety of Downtown LA.
Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at Trump as the violence escalated, accusing him of inflaming tensions by sending in the National Guard and insisting the crisis would be better handled by state authorities.
But both Trump and the Pentagon responded to Newsom with a greater show of force on Monday with the additional deployments.
US Northern Command said the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines are coming from Twentynine Palms to work alongside the 4,100 National Guard members already in LA or authorized to be deployed there to respond to the protests.
The forces have been trained in deescalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, Northern Command said.
At least 700 Marines are on their way to Los Angeles along with 2,000 more National Guard troops as the streets descend into violence and lawlessness
Their arrival comes as Downtown Los Angeles braces for a fourth night of riots as pro-migrant protesters take to the streets to rail against federal immigration agents and President Donald Trump ‘s ambitious deportation agenda
These troops are tasked with defending federal assets and personnel, including the federal immigration agents at the center of the conflict
These Marines are highly trained in combat and crisis response, with time in conflict zones like Syria and Afghanistan.
Now, they’ll be facing furious protesters – carrying gas canisters or other makeshift weapons in some instances – and have to quickly decide how to respond with an appropriate show of force.
At least three buildings have been broken into and vandalized, according to LAPD chief Jim McDonnell, with ‘significant damage and broken windows.’
He has placed his city on a ‘tactical alert’, meaning LAPD officers can be mobilized and reallocated quickly to respond to incidents as they arise.
He weighed in on the decision to mobilize Marines and the National Guard, raising concerns that ‘without direct coordination [they] create logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents.’
According to a US 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.
The Pentagon is working on a memo with clarifying language for the Marines that will lay out the steps they can take to protect federal personnel and property.
Those guidelines also will include specifics on the possibility that they could temporarily detain civilians if troops are under assault or to prevent harm, the first U.S. official said.
Having the Marines deploy to protect federal buildings allows them to be used without invoking the Insurrection Act, one U.S. official said.
The Insurrection Act allows the president to direct federal troops to conduct law enforcement functions in national emergencies. But the use of that act is extremely rare. Officials said that has not yet been done in this case and that it’s not clear it will be done.
President George H.W. Bush used the Insurrection Act to respond to riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of white police officers who were videotaped beating Black motorist Rodney King.
The protests have now stretched into a fourth night in Los Angeles
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted late Saturday that he was considering deploying the Marines to respond to the unrest
Harrowing scenes over the weekend saw demonstrators torch cars, attack authorities with fireworks, bricks of cement and tear gas and destroy infrastructure – even as state officials tried to maintain the protests were primarily peaceful
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted late Saturday that he was considering deploying the Marines to respond to the unrest.
Trump also authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to help manage the crowds, despite the backlash he received from Democrat Califorinia leaders for his initial decision to send troops.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the National Guard deployment ‘unlawful’ and said it ‘trampled’ on the state’s sovereignty. Bonta sued the Trump administration Monday in response.
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.
Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is ‘a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.’
But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass argued the state of California is instead being used ‘as an experiment’ by the Trump administration seeking to test the limits of its power.
‘These are not the people we were told were going to be detained, and it makes me feel like our city is actually a test case,’ she said.
‘A test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government.’
Members of law enforcement push back against protesters on Monday
Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at Trump as the violence escalated, accusing him of inflaming tensions by sending in the National Guard and insisting the crisis would be better handled by state authorities
The protests reached a crescendo with the streets of LA overrun by violence on Sunday night and into Monday
She said ICE agents had struck fear through the hearts of hardworking Angelenos, who are now constantly nervous about the next raids.
‘I can’t emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now, not knowing if tomorrow or tonight it might be where they live, it might be their workplace, should you send your kids to school, should you go to work,’ she said.
Newsom said on X he had been informed of the decision. He called the move reckless and ‘disrespectful to our troops.’
‘This isn´t about public safety. It´s about stroking a dangerous President´s ego,’ Newsom said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi compared the streets of LA to a third-world country on Monday night, expressing disdain for protesters and warning any violence will be prosecuted.
‘We can prosecute federally people who assault state law enforcement officers and we are going to do it, we are going to prosecute them federally,’ she said.
‘Look at it out there, it looks like a third world country. And it’s not, it’s the United States of America.’
