Los Angeles: The U.S. military will deploy Marines to Los Angeles within the next 24 hours -from the time of publishing this report on Human Online- to reinforce National Guard units amid intensifying national protests over a recent surge in immigration raids, federal and defense officials confirmed on Wednesday. The move, authorized by President Donald Trump, has sparked a legal and political firestorm over the use of military personnel on American soil.
The Marines will support federal agents and may detain individuals who interfere with immigration enforcement or threaten federal officers, though they will not assume general policing duties. Their arrival follows nearly a week of protests that began in Los Angeles and have now spread to cities including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Seattle.
President Trump defended the deployment during remarks in Washington, D.C., stating that swift action was needed to prevent widespread unrest. “L.A. would have been in flames if we hadn’t acted fast,” he claimed at an event at the Kennedy Center.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, however, sharply disagrees. The state has filed a legal challenge to the deployment, arguing that the federal government’s actions under Title 10 — which governs military engagement in domestic affairs — are unlawful. State officials argue that the threshold required for such a deployment has not been met.
Under Title 10 provisions, military forces may act in limited roles to prevent violence or protect federal property, but cannot conduct law enforcement duties unless specific conditions are satisfied. The Pentagon confirmed that 700 Marines, specially trained in riot control and de-escalation, are en route to Los Angeles. Although their rifles won’t be loaded, the troops will carry live ammunition.
Homeland Security officials stressed that Marines will only intervene in cases where federal officers are under attack. “If ICE personnel are assaulted, the Marines may step in to detain individuals until civilian law enforcement takes over,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
A federal court in San Francisco will review California’s emergency request to block the deployment on Thursday.
In downtown L.A. on Wednesday night, skirmishes erupted as curfews remained in effect. Protesters clashed with police in scattered incidents, including fireworks thrown at officers and less-lethal munitions fired near City Hall.
Demonstrations have also erupted in other cities with large immigrant populations, including Santa Ana, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and Boston.
In New York, arrests continued as police detained more protesters on Wednesday, following the 86 taken into custody the previous day.
Activist groups have called for mass mobilizations across the U.S. this Saturday, aligning over 1,800 protests with a scheduled military parade in Washington, D.C. marking the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and President Trump’s 79th birthday. The event, which will feature tanks and armored vehicles on display in the capital, has raised alarms among civil liberties organizations, who warn of a growing militarized response to dissent on American streets.
