Pentagon to deploy Marines amid California unrest

The troops will help protect federal property against rioters, US Northern Command said

The Pentagon will deploy active-duty Marines to help quell riots in Los Angeles sparked by the arrests of suspected illegal migrants.

About 700 Marines from the 1st Marine Division will assist in protecting “federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,” US Northern Command said on Monday.

The Marines will support National Guard troops, whose presence on the streets is expected to increase to 2,000 by Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers – even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X. The Pentagon announced later on Monday that “an additional” 2,000 National Guard members will be called to assist immigration agents and police. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to send in the Marines against protesters as “un-American.”

“They shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president,” Newsom wrote on X. He earlier urged Trump to recall the National Guard, arguing that their “unlawful” deployment was escalatory and violated California’s rights as a US state.

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The protests erupted on Friday after immigration authorities arrested over 40 people at a Home Depot parking lot and at the Ambiance Apparel clothing manufacturer on suspicion of using “fictitious employee documents.” Demonstrations denouncing Trump’s hardline immigration policy quickly spiraled into looting and violent clashes with police.

Rioters torched vehicles and broke into businesses, while police fired pepper balls and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. At least 56 people were arrested over the weekend, according to news agencies.

Trump condemned the “insurrectionists,” vowing to protect law enforcement officers. “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and ramp up deportations. According to Axios, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller instructed immigration agents last week to raise their daily arrest quota from 1,000 to 3,000.