Escalation of protests: Pentagon sends 700 US Marines to Los Angeles

For days, protests have been taking place in California against the harsh immigration policies of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. President Trump is responding drastically, mobilizing thousands of National Guard troops over the weekend. Now his administration is going a step further.

Due to the protests against President Donald Trump's immigration policy, the U.S. Department of Defense has ordered approximately 700 Marines from the regular armed forces to Los Angeles, according to the responsible regional command. The soldiers will support the already mobilized National Guard forces in protecting federal employees and property.

Several US media outlets had previously reported on the deployment of the Marines, citing government sources. According to ABC News, they are expected to arrive within the next 24 hours.

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the decision as "insane." "The U.S. Marines have served honorably in multiple wars in defense of democracy," the Democrat explained on the online service X. "They should not be deployed on American soil, facing their own citizens, to fulfill the insane fantasy of a dictatorial president." This, he said, is "un-American."

The move is intended to ensure a "sufficient number of forces" are present. According to military sources, the soldiers are trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and the rules for the use of force.

Escalation of protests

The deployment of the regular army within the country is a further serious escalation surrounding the protests against the actions of the US immigration authorities (ICE) in the Los Angeles area. Soldiers are trained for military operations and war, not for police duties such as controlling protests in American inner cities. Over the weekend, Trump had already mobilized at least 2,000 National Guard troops – against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom. The National Guard is a military reserve unit and part of the US armed forces.

Their deployment against the governor's resistance is a highly unusual demonstration of government power. Since 1965, no U.S. president has taken over a state's National Guard against its declared will. Normally, the states have control over the National Guard. In the event of war or a national emergency, the U.S. president can assume command.

National Guard already on site

Several hundred National Guard soldiers—some in combat gear and carrying automatic weapons—have already taken up positions to protect federal buildings from protests and vandalism. Also over the weekend, the responsible regional command announced that around 500 Marines from the regular armed forces were also on standby. The fact that these troops are now actually being ordered to Los Angeles by the Trump administration is a complete breach of taboo.

Just shortly before the drastic measure was announced, Republican Trump had verbally downplayed the situation in a press conference. While he didn't want to rule out the deployment of Marines when asked, he did affirm that the National Guard had de-escalated the situation in the metropolis on the US West Coast and prevented it from getting worse. "It's still simmering a bit, but not very much," he said of the protests. He said he didn't want a "civil war," he responded to a journalist's question on this point.

At the same time, Trump maintained his criticism of California Governor Newsom. He initially expressed support for the idea of ​​having Newsom arrested, but later softened his rhetoric somewhat. The Democrat was "grossly incompetent," Trump emphasized. "He's probably glad, in his own way, that I'm getting involved." While he'd always gotten along well with him, the Republican said, Newsom is doing a "terrible job."

California sues Trump

Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit on Monday against Trump, the Department of Defense, and Secretary Pete Hegseth. They accuse the federal government of unlawfully taking control of the California National Guard without the state's consent. Newsom explicitly opposed the deployment and asked Hegseth in a letter to withdraw the troops; this request was ignored, Bonta said. California officials accuse the president of abuse of power.

Mayor Bass had previously expressed similar sentiments. "I don't think the National Guard is needed right now," she told CNN. The situation in Los Angeles is currently calm. While she is saddened by the "level of vandalism in the form of graffiti," she added, this only affects a few streets in the city center. There are no widespread unrest. Crimes must be prosecuted, and there have been some arrests—but a military deployment is not necessary.

Unusual demonstration of power

Increased operations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) sparked the first protests in the Los Angeles area at the end of last week. According to authorities, dozens of people were arrested in the raids – including, according to Newsom's office, apparently minors. Critics accuse the federal government of deliberately stoking fear with seemingly martial measures. The protests were directed against Trump's harsh immigration policies and the deployment of ICE units in civilian residential areas.

In response to the demonstrations, Trump mobilized National Guard troops on Saturday evening (local time). According to several US media outlets, the situation in Los Angeles remains tense despite a temporary calm. Smaller protests also took place in other US cities.

There are now fears in the US that Trump could impose a form of martial law by invoking a law known as the "Insurrection Act," which would allow him to deploy the regular military domestically.