The administration of President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of a battalion composed of 700 marines to the city of Los Angeles, under the pretext of safeguarding federal facilities. They will join the 2,000 National Guard troops already operational in the city to contain the protests sparked by immigration raids.
This decision was confirmed by two officials from the Department of Defense to The New York Times, amidst a national climate marked by citizen mobilizations and growing social tension.
The Marines are one of the branches of the United States Armed Forces and their main function is to act as a quick response force in military crises, and they are specially trained for amphibious operations.
The decision to deploy marines represents a significant increase in federal presence in the region, which could exacerbate the tensions that have arisen between security forces and those participating in protests against the government’s immigration policies.
On Sunday, for example, the protests were much calmer than those on Friday and Saturday, but they escalated once Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard without the approval of the governor of California to try to quell the riots became known.
California will sue Donald Trump.
The Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, announced the filing of a lawsuit against Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the “illegal” and “incendiary” deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
This decision was made before the news of the deployment of the marines.
Bonta has explained that sending troops to the city constitutes a violation of the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution, which establishes the limits of federal powers.
“At dawn on Sunday, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth illegally federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops for 60 days (...). They did so without authorization from Governor Newsom and against the wishes of the security forces,” explained the attorney general.
Bonta stated that the protests “were almost dissipated” when the military arrived on Sunday. “Since Trump announced his plan to deploy troops, the situation escalated rapidly with protests during the night, highway closures, and people in danger,” he lamented.
The Attorney General recalled that there is only one precedent of federalizing the National Guard, and it was 55 years ago, during Richard Nixon’s presidency, when he mobilized the military to facilitate the delivery of mail during a postal strike.
Warning against violent behavior
Rob Bonta also spoke to those responsible for violent incidents: “My message to them is not to engage in illegal activities... If they do not comply with the law, we will come after you and you will have to be held accountable, as those who have been arrested already know.”
In any case, the California prosecutor stressed that “the vast majority of people who have participated in the protests have been peaceful and lawful.” He added that “the violent individuals seem to be members of external groups, unrelated to the main issue being protested against.”