Approximately 200 Marines have arrived in Los Angeles to begin their assignment at the Wilshire Federal Building, marking a rare instance of military forces deployed on domestic soil. This deployment follows recent protests triggered by immigration enforcement operations in the region.
President Donald Trump took immediate action last weekend by federalizing and deploying over 2,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to the city in response to the unrest.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has characterized the decision to send in military forces as “authoritarian”. In contrast, President Trump claimed that the situation would have been dire without the activation of these troops, stating that Los Angeles “would be burning to the ground right now” in their absence.
In response to Trump’s actions, Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging the deployment. A federal judge initially sided with him, blocking the troop movement; however, an appeals court intervened later that evening and temporarily lifted the order. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is set to hear the case on June 17, allowing a temporary stay of the troop presence until that date.
Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman announced during a Friday morning press conference that the Marines arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday night. They began their operations in Westwood around noon on the following day.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her disapproval of the military presence, emphasizing that the enforcement actions have generated fear within communities. “We are here today because the raids have caused fear and panic,” Bass stated. “We’re not going to solve anything by chasing people at car washes, by intimidating families in their schools or by sending troops into an American city.”
The Marines reported a temporary detention outside the Wilshire Federal Building, which was confirmed by a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command. “Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances,” the spokesperson noted. According to reports, the detained individual, identified as 27-year-old Marcos Leao—a U.S. Army veteran—was mistakenly apprehended while heading to the Department of Veterans Affairs office. Leao mentioned that the Marines treated him fairly during the incident and indicated that they had confused him for a protester before his release.
Maj. Gen. Sherman reiterated that the primary mission for the deployed Marines is to protect federal property and personnel, including the Wilshire Federal Building. He clarified that the Marines are equipped with crowd control gear and will be armed; however, he assured that they would not engage in law enforcement activities. “I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities,” Sherman stated. “Rather, they’ll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel.”
Furthermore, Sherman confirmed that the National Guard troops deployed earlier in the week have also refrained from law enforcement duties. To date, no troops have reported injuries since arriving in Los Angeles. Sherman explained that the National Guard has primarily been observing federal law enforcement operations and has not needed to detain anyone.
As military personnel continue to conduct their duties, it remains uncertain what specific roles the additional 500 Marines will undertake in L.A. Sherman indicated that he could not speculate on future operations, but training has focused on defending federal properties. “That’s the mission we’ve really focused on them to do,” he added, noting the Marines have commenced operations with the Wilshire Federal Building and will advance from there.
As the situation unfolds, the number of individuals in ICE detention centers across the U.S. has reached a record 56,300, based on internal government data. ICE’s recent statistics revealed that 1,400 and 1,600 immigration arrests occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
While ICE arrests have surged by over 100% since President Trump began his term, they still fall short of the targeted 3,000 daily arrest rate highlighted by the White House.
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