The deployment of troops intensifies an unprecedented standoff between the United States government, led by Republican Donald Trump, and California, the country's most populous state, which clearly leans Democratic. Nearly 700 marines arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday to reinforce the troop presence in the city, which has been experiencing four days of protests against Trump's immigration policies. The president has stepped up his rhetoric against local authorities, who argue that the thousands of National Guard troops sent are neither required nor necessary. The Republican responded to these complaints by transferring another two thousand reserve soldiers to take a further step in the militarization process of the country's second most populous city.
Nearly 5,000 troops—some 700 marines and 4,000 National Guard members—will be deployed to the streets of California in the coming days. It is exceptional that a group of marines, one of the Armed Forces' infantry units, have been transferred to a city without a request from the authorities in California or Los Angeles, both administrations in Democratic hands. Republican Trump is doing so to reinforce surveillance during 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 Tuesday morning the arrival of 700 Marines in Los Angeles. They departed Monday night from their military base in Twentynine Palms, California, east of the city in the Mojave Desert. Military authorities, however, have avoided mentioning the specific location where they will be deployed. The Trump administration had previously stated that the reinforcements were needed to protect federal agents from immigration authorities, ICE, and those who accompany them during operations to detain undocumented immigrants.
The military arrives in a city experiencing its fourth day of protests. Monday's protest, however, was much less crowded than Sunday's. Several groups began marching from various points downtown and converged on the Civic Center, a cluster of administrative buildings surrounding Los Angeles City Hall. Some of these buildings are guarded by dozens of National Guard troops.
Pete Hegseth, Trump's Secretary of Defense, said Tuesday that the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops will cost $134 million, which will go toward housing and feeding the troops. So far, only 1,700 of the 2,000 troops ordered by Trump on Saturday have arrived in Los Angeles.
Soldiers crowded together and sleeping on the ground
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been attacking Trump's Cabinet for two days over a decision that he claims"tramples" on the state's sovereignty, has highlighted the lack of planning for the maneuver. The San Francisco Chronicle published exclusive images on Monday of the first National Guard troops arriving in Los Angeles. The images showed soldiers sleeping on the floor, crammed into a single space."The troops were sent in with no fuel, water, food, or a place to sleep. If anyone is disrespecting our troops, it's you, Donald Trump," Newsom wrote.
The presence of several law enforcement groups became more evident from Sunday to Monday. These groups include the federal Department of Homeland Security, the California Highway Patrol (state police), the county sheriff's office, and local agents. Dozens of patrol cars and officers with batons and shields blocked protesters from reaching the 101 Freeway, a major transportation route that was occupied over the weekend. When tempers flared, protesters chanted"peaceful protest, peaceful protest." Still, some Los Angeles police officers fired rubber bullets and threw stun grenades.
Monday's skirmishes were shorter than Sunday's. During the afternoon, about four hours after the protesters arrived downtown, officers issued a megaphone declaration that the gathering was"illegal." Loudspeakers roared orders to leave the area within five minutes or risk arrest. Later that evening, a CNN reporter was detained for a few minutes.
