In a dramatic escalation of federal response to days of violent protests over mass deportation raids, the Trump administration has deployed hundreds of active-duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to safeguard federal property and personnel.
Roughly 500 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines out of Twentynine Palms, California, were mobilized late Monday following an earlier deployment of 2,000 National Guardsmen over the weekend. The mobilization is intended to fill security gaps as street demonstrations erupt in response to aggressive ICE operations targeting undocumented immigrants, particularly in Latino-majority neighborhoods.
While the Marines will not perform law enforcement duties, Pentagon officials say their mission is to bolster the protection of federal facilities and staff amid continued unrest. Questions remain about what force protections, if any, the Marines will be permitted to use should they be physically confronted by demonstrators.
United States Northern Command Confirms 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Are Preparing to Deploy to Los Angeles, California To Anti ICE Riots. Additional 2,000 More National Guard Troops Coming. MIC DROP, Trump & Hegseth. Impeach Gavin. Deport. L.A. Police Look Armed Now. Arrest All!🔥 pic.twitter.com/a7m8LpnELa
— Sputnik (@VasBroughtToX) June 10, 2025
President Donald Trump defended the move, claiming the situation was spiraling out of control and declaring the federal show of force had already prevented further destruction.
“I mean, I think we have it very well under control,” Trump told reporters. “It was heading in the wrong direction. It’s now heading in the right direction.”
Newsom Fights Back
California Governor Gavin Newsom immediately blasted the Marine deployment, accusing Trump of overstepping constitutional boundaries and using the U.S. military to intimidate civilians.
“The level of escalation is completely uncalled for and unprecedented,” Newsom’s office posted on X. “Mobilizing the best-in-class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens is not just dangerous—it’s an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
The governor filed a lawsuit Monday to block both the National Guard and Marine deployments, arguing the administration violated federal law and state sovereignty. Under typical circumstances, domestic use of federal troops for policing is barred by the Posse Comitatus Act unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act—something Trump has not formally done.
Still, as commander in chief, the president retains authority to deploy military forces in certain non-law enforcement roles, especially in protection of federal interests.
Flashpoints Across the City
The protests began Friday after ICE agents raided homes and businesses across Los Angeles, leading to widespread anger, especially in immigrant communities. Demonstrations intensified over the weekend with scenes of vandalized LAPD buildings, burned vehicles, and police deploying gas canisters and stun grenades to disperse crowds.
On Monday night, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a downtown federal detention center where undocumented immigrants are being held. National Guard troops formed a human barricade, while LAPD and sheriff’s deputies swept the area with flashbangs and “less-lethal” rounds. The chaos spilled into the Little Tokyo district, where protesters scattered into side streets as bystanders looked on from apartment balconies and hotels.
Despite the intensifying crackdown, protesters vowed to continue. “What is happening affects every American, everyone who wants to live free, regardless of how long their family has lived here,” said Marzita Cerrato, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Mexico and Honduras.
Washington Divided
The Marine mobilization has added gasoline to an already volatile political fire. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, accused Trump of using the military as a political cudgel.
“The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon,” Reed said. “This unprecedented move threatens to turn a tense situation into a national crisis.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta echoed that sentiment, arguing Trump’s actions are part of a broader pattern of “manufacturing chaos to justify authoritarian tactics.”
Yet Trump and his allies remain defiant. In a post to Truth Social, the former president wrote: “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to expand ICE operations nationwide. “We conducted more operations today than we did the day before—and tomorrow we are going to double those efforts again,” she said Monday night on Fox News.
A Rare Deployment
The domestic deployment of Marines marks one of the rarest uses of active-duty troops on American soil in modern history. Aside from natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or 9/11, troops have seldom been used in civil unrest without the formal request of a state governor. The last time active-duty military were used in such a capacity was during the 1992 Rodney King riots—under the request of California’s then-governor.
This time, Newsom is resisting—and Trump is threatening consequences.
“I think it’s great,” Trump said Monday when asked whether he supported calls to arrest Newsom for allegedly obstructing federal enforcement. “I would do it if I were [ICE Director Tom Homan].”
Nationwide Fallout
While Los Angeles remains the epicenter, protests have now spread to at least nine other cities, including Tampa, Houston, Boston, and New York. In Austin, Texas, police reportedly used nonlethal rounds and made several arrests during clashes with demonstrators.
Back in Los Angeles, ICE reports that immigration arrests have surged to more than 2,000 per day—far above the 2024 average under the Biden administration.
As protests stretch into a fifth day and Marines arrive on city streets, the nation finds itself in a dangerous moment. Whether this show of force quells the unrest—or ignites something worse—remains to be seen.
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