JAKARTA - Hundreds of US Marines arrived in Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump. Trump previously ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops to defuse immigration-related protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local officials.
Los Angeles has been hit by public outrage for days since the Trump administration launched a series of immigration measures on Friday last week, although local officials said demonstrations on Monday were largely peaceful.
About half of the approximately 700 Marines Trump ordered to Los Angeles arrived on Monday, June 9 evening local time. The remaining troops will enter the city on Tuesday, June 10 local time.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told KABC more than 100 people had been arrested on Monday but the majority of protesters did not commit violence.
Over the weekend, protesters threw stones and other objects at officers and vehicles and set several cars on fire. Police responded by firing projectiles such as pepper balls and stun grenades and tear gas.
Trump stressed his decision to deploy active military forces to Los Angeles by calling the protests a violent occupation of the city, a characterization that Newsom and Bass said was exaggerated.
Newsom said Trump's deployment of National Guard troops only exacerbated the situation and made it difficult for local law enforcement to respond to the demonstration.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the department had not been notified of any marine traveling to the city and the possibility of their arrival poses significant logistical and operational challenges to the police.
Trump's decision to mobilize 700 marine based in Southern California stepped up his confrontation with Newsom, which filed a lawsuit on Monday.
The governor of California stated that Trump's deployment of National Guard troops without his consent was illegal.
The deployment of the National Guard is the first time in decades a president has activated the National Guard without a request from the governor in office.
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While the Marines are only tasked with guarding temporary federal property until a full unit consisting of 4,000 Guard troops arrives, active military use to respond to civilian disturbances is extremely rare.
"It's not about public safety," Newsom wrote on X on Monday.
"It's about stroking the president's dangerous ego," he said.
Top Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, said it was "deeply disturbed" by Trump's deployment of active duty Marines.
"Since the founding of our country, the American people have been very clear: we don't want the military to enforce the law on US soil," he said.
In a post on Tuesday morning on Truth Social, Trump claimed Los Angeles would be "fugitively burned down" if he did not deploy troops to the city.
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