Tensions between President Donald Trump and California intensified
Tensions between President Donald Trump and California intensified further on Monday as the Pentagon dispatched approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist National Guard troops dealing with ongoing immigration protests.
At the same time, California was preparing to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding the federal deployment, while protests persisted in the city for the fourth consecutive day.
According to US Northern Command, the Marines, who were sent from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert, will be responsible for safeguarding federal property and personnel, including immigration agents.
This deployment follows protests that erupted after federal immigration authorities arrested over 40 individuals across Los Angeles on Friday. The initial confrontations began that day when demonstrators gathered outside a federal detention center, demanding the release of those detained as part of Trump’s mass deportation initiative.
Top 10 updates
- The Marines and National Guard personnel currently stationed in California are not anticipated to engage in law enforcement activities, as the Posse Comitatus Act forbids such actions. President Trump has not activated the Insurrection Act, which would allow military participation in policing, and it is still unclear if he intends to do so.
- Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment of 700 active-duty Marines on Monday to enhance the federal government’s response to the rising immigration protests in Los Angeles. This action represents a notable escalation in the administration’s approach to the unrest.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the decision to mobilise the Marines, labeling Hegseth’s previous comments regarding the possible deployment as “deranged behaviour.” Newsom has insisted that state and local officials are equipped to handle the situation without further federal involvement.
- Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell expressed on Monday that he has complete faith in his department’s capability to oversee large-scale protests. Nevertheless, he voiced concerns that the Marines’ arrival, without prior coordination with the police department, posed significant logistical and operational difficulties.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta declared the state’s intention to sue the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops. Bonta accused the administration of infringing upon California’s sovereignty and undermining states’ rights by sending troops without the governor’s approval.
- President Trump justified his choice to send National Guard forces to California, claiming that the protests were interfering with federal law enforcement operations and framing them as a potential “rebellion” against US government authority. His comments followed several days of extensive demonstrations opposing immigration raids.
- In response, California initiated a lawsuit on Monday aimed at ending what it termed the “unlawful” deployment of federal troops in Los Angeles County. The state contends that this deployment breaches both federal law and the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as it was executed without satisfying legal criteria such as rebellion, invasion, or hindrance of law enforcement.
- Trump asserted that the deployment of the Guard prevented the city from being “completely obliterated.” At a later event at the White House, he further accused California officials of being too afraid to take the necessary actions. By midday Monday, approximately 1,000 National Guard members were already positioned in Los Angeles under federal orders, with expectations of up to 2,000 troops by the end of the day.
- Simultaneously, new protests were breaking out throughout Los Angeles County. Reports confirming the presence of federal immigration agents in Whittier and Huntington Park incited anger among local activists, leading to calls for additional demonstrations. More protests were being organized in cities nationwide.
- On Monday, thousands assembled near City Hall for a union rally supporting labor leader David Huerta, whose recent arrest during an immigration protest energized activists. Huerta, who is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, was released later that day on a $50,000 bond. Over the weekend, several dozen protesters were detained, including one person who threw a Molotov cocktail at police and another who drove a motorcycle into a line of officers.
