Hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders.
The city has seen days of public outrage since the Trump administration launched a series of immigration raids on Friday, though local officials said the demonstrations on Monday were largely peaceful.
About half of the roughly 700 Marines that Trump ordered to Los Angeles arrived on Monday night, and the remaining troops will enter the city on Tuesday.
The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told newsmen that more than 100 people had been arrested on Monday but that the majority of protesters were nonviolent.
Over the weekend, protesters threw rocks and other objects at officers and vehicles and set several cars ablaze.
Police responded by firing projectiles like pepper balls as well as flash bang grenades and tear gas.
Trump has justified his decision to deploy active military troops to Los Angeles by describing the protests as a violent occupation of the city, a characterization that Newsom and Bass have said is grossly exaggerated.
Newsom said that Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops has only inflamed the situation and made it more difficult for local law enforcement to respond to the demonstrations.
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In a statement on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the department had not been notified that any Marines were traveling to the city and that their possible arrival “presents a significant logistical and operational challenge” for police.
Trump’s decision to mobilize 700 Marines based in Southern California escalated his confrontation with Newsom, who filed a lawsuit on Monday asserting that Trump’s deployment of Guard troops without the governor’s consent was illegal.
The Guard deployment was the first time in decades that a president activated the Guard absent a request from a sitting governor.
While the Marines are only tasked with guarding federal property temporarily until the full contingent of 4,000 Guard troops arrives, the use of active military to respond to civil disturbances is extremely rare.
(Editor Oloyede Oworu)
