Trump’s Deployed Marines Arrive in California Amid Rising Tensions Between Administrations

The deployment of military forces intensifies an unprecedented standoff between the United States government, led by Republican Donald Trump, and California, the most populous state with a clear Democratic lean. Nearly 700 Marines arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday to bolster the troop presence in the city, which has seen four days of protests against Trump’s immigration policies. The president has escalated his rhetoric against local authorities, who argue that the thousands of National Guard troops sent are neither requested nor necessary. In response to these complaints, the Republican moved an additional two thousand reservists to take another step in the militarization of the second most populous city in the country.

About 5,000 military personnel—around 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guards—will occupy the streets of California in the coming days. It is exceptional for a group of Marines, one of the infantry branches of the Armed Forces, to be deployed to a city without a request from the authorities of California or Los Angeles, both Democratic administrations. Republican Trump had to invoke presidential powers reserved for emergencies to reinforce the monitoring amid largely peaceful protests. The last president to do so was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, when he sent troops to prevent racist riots in Selma, Alabama.

Northern Command confirmed on Tuesday morning the arrival of the 700 Marines in Los Angeles. They left their military base in Twentynine Palms, located east of the city in the Mojave Desert, on Monday night. However, military authorities have avoided mentioning the specific location where they will be stationed. The Trump administration had indicated earlier that reinforcements were needed to protect federal agents from immigration authorities, ICE, and those assisting them in undocumented detention operations.

The military arrives in a city that has experienced its fourth day of protests. The protest on Monday, however, was much less attended than on Sunday. Various groups began marching from several points in downtown and converged at the Civic Center, a complex of administrative buildings around Los Angeles City Hall. Some of these are guarded by dozens of National Guard members.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense, stated on Tuesday that the deployment of thousands of National Guards will cost 134 million dollars, which will be spent on lodging and food for the uniformed personnel. So far, only 1,700 of the 2,000 troops ordered by Trump on Saturday have arrived in Los Angeles.

Soldiers crowded and sleeping on the floor

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been criticizing Trump’s cabinet for two days for a decision that he claims “tramples” the state’s sovereignty, emphasized the lack of planning for the operation. The newspaper San Francisco Chronicle published exclusive images on Monday of the first National Guards arriving in Los Angeles. In them, soldiers could be seen sleeping on the floor and crowded in a small space. “They sent troops without fuel, without water, food, or a place to sleep. If anyone is disrespecting our troops, it is you, Donald Trump,” Newsom tweeted.

The governor asserts that the mobilized guards are the same ones who provided assistance to Pacific Palisades and Altadena, two communities devastated by fires earlier this year. Additionally, they were deployed to tackle other priorities of the Trump administration, such as border security with Mexico. “We are pulling them from groups like those combating fentanyl for this theatrical display of toughness from a president who is deranged,” Newsom stated.

The governor filed an emergency order in court on Tuesday to halt the militarization of Los Angeles. “Trump is using this force against American citizens. Judges must immediately stop these illegal actions,” Newsom emphasized on social media.

Jim McDonnell, the chief of the Los Angeles police, the force currently handling the dispersal of protests, criticized the military presence on Monday. “Their arrival represents a significant challenge for those of us who must safeguard order in this city,” McDonnell said.

The presence of several police groups became more evident from Sunday to Monday. They include the federal Department of Homeland Security, the California Highway Patrol (state police), the county Sheriff’s office, and local officers. Dozens of patrols and officers with batons and shields prevented demonstrators from advancing to the 101 freeway, an important communication route that was occupied over the weekend. As tensions rose, protesters shouted “peaceful protest, peaceful protest.” Nonetheless, some Los Angeles officers fired rubber bullets and launched stun grenades.

Monday’s skirmishes were shorter than those on Sunday. In the afternoon, about four hours after protesters arrived downtown, officers announced through loudspeakers that the gathering was “illegal.” The loudspeakers blared the order to leave the area in five minutes or risk arrest. That night, a CNN journalist was briefly detained.

Law enforcement expelled the protesters from the Civic Center. That night, some acts of vandalism occurred. Some provocateurs damaged a Telemundo van and small shops in the area were looted, including the Apple store located downtown. Authorities made several arrests but have not disclosed the exact number or the charges faced by those detained.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been urging protesters to act non-violently during mobilizations for several days. “Don’t be swayed by the chaos provoked by Trump. This is about defending immigrant communities, not destroying the city,” the Democratic politician stated on Monday. The center woke up on Tuesday covered in graffiti, broken glass, and stones strewn on the ground.

Tension has begun to spread to other parts of California. San Francisco added another large march on Monday, a day after local authorities arrested 150 people on Sunday for disturbances. In Orange County, south of Los Angeles, a Republican stronghold in the progressive south of California, Latinos took to the streets to protest against Donald Trump’s government. The social climate continues to heat up amid the militarization of the most populous state in the country.