Hundreds of members of the U.S. Marine Corps could soon be joining the military task force assembled in Los Angeles in response to immigration enforcement protests, although it’s unclear if they’ll be returned to their previous command before ever hitting the streets.
On Thursday, the U.S. Northern Command confirmed that Marines mobilized to L.A. conducted “mission orientation and familiarization” in the area and could be integrating with the thousands of National Guardsmen already given orders in the city.
The Marines would be joining Task Force 51, the U.S. military’s name for the hundreds of troops deployed to the greater Los Angeles area to protect federal buildings and federal agents.
But just as the Marines came one step closer to joining the National Guard in their federal protection mission, President Donald Trump was dealt a legal blow that puts into question how much longer a military presence will remain on L.A.’s streets.
Trump ordered the National Guard into the city without coordinating with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass or California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the latter of whom filed a legal challenge of the president’s authority to do so.
The use of the military to quell civil unrest without a request from local leaders is considered highly unusual and, in Newsom’s view, potentially illegal. Newsom’s lawsuit met a legal hurdle after a federal judge denied the state’s request for an urgent pause on the deployment of troops.
A formal hearing for a temporary restraining order was instead held Thursday, with Newsom’s claim ultimately proving successful.
A federal judge ruled the Trump did not follow the “congressionally mandated procedure for his actions,” ruling that seizing control of the California National Guard from Newsom’s control as the state’s governor was illegal and violated the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Trump was then ordered to return control of the California National Guard to Newsom. The president has not yet responded to the court’s decision.
“The court just confirmed what we all know — the military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets,” Newsom said on social media. “End the illegal militarization of Los Angeles now,[President Trump]. History is watching.”
The Trump Administration has argued that the mobilization of troops was necessitated by local authorities not doing enough to protect federal agents conducting immigration raids at various locations across the area.
Last Friday, the first of targeted enforcement operations took place in downtown L.A. and in the nearby Westlake District. After several people were loaded into unmarked vehicles at a downtown clothing store, a crowd developed with many seen shouting at federal agents, and even throwing items at their vehicles.
Those overnight protests grew destructive in the days that followed, with looting and vandalism reported, as well as multiple driverless Waymo taxis being torched.
Trump and his allies have characterized those protests as widespread across Los Angeles, leaving chaos in their wake. In reality, the protests, and ensuing looting and vandalism, have happened primarily in a small portion of downtown L.A. less than one square-mile.
While Trump has called protesters “troublemakers” and “agitators,” Bass and Newsom have lobbed those same barbs back at the president, accusing him of fanning the flames of unrest for political gain and to advance his immigration goals.
While protests have been moderately tame over the past two days due to an overnight curfew in downtown, National Guard Brigadier General Scott Sherman told ABC News he expected activity to “ramp up” in the coming days. Sherman was put in command of the federal protection task force in Los Angeles, and it remains to be seen what, if any, role he will have with enforcement in the coming days.
On Saturday, as the White House watches its long-sought after military parade finally taking place to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army, as well as Trump’s birthday, counterprotests are planned at hundreds of locations across the globe.
Local leaders have urged calm in these demonstrations in hopes of reducing any chance of violence breaking out between the public and law enforcement officers and their military counterparts.
According to the U.S. Northern Command, military personnel have been granted the authority to detain individuals during protests if they are committing crimes or interfering with immigration operations, but arrests are ultimately the jurisdiction of local law enforcement.
“Department of Defense military personnel on this mission are performing ground activities to protecting federal functions, personnel, and property. If necessary, this support may include crowd control and establishment of security perimeters to ensure federal personnel are protected from harm or threat of bodily injury while those they protect perform their federal duties,” military officials said.
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