U.S. President Donald Trump deployed an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles on Tuesday to help quell protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
Small, largely peaceful demonstrations began last Friday, only to grow over the weekend across parts of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, in some cases becoming violent. Local police responded to reports of burned cars and graffitied public property with force, using tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets on protesters.
Much of Los Angeles, home to 4 million people within city limits, has not been affected. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said he was confident in his department’s ability to handle the demonstrations, adding that the Marines’ arrival would create a “significant logistical and operational challenge.” And Newsom filed an emergency motion in federal court on Tuesday to block Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines.
While testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Hegseth defended Trump’s deployments, saying they were vital to “ensure that those rioters, looters, and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we’re not going anywhere.” The Marines’ sole purpose while in Los Angeles is to protect federal personnel and property, not arrest protesters, Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith said.
According to a Defense Department official, the deployment of National Guard and Marine troops will likely last 60 days and cost around $134 million.
Read more in today’s World Brief: Trump Doubles Down on Federal Troop Deployments to Los Angeles.
The post Trump Deploys Additional Federal Troops to Los Angeles appeared first on Foreign Policy.
