The situation in Los Angeles is escalating and threatening to escalate into a larger conflict, and in response, US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of around 700 Marines from the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, California.
While the situation in California requires de-escalation, the US president is trying to quell the political and security storm with even more radical measures – members of the most elite military formation who will be deployed to Los Angeles to support the 2,000 National Guard members who are already in the city and controlling protests against federal immigration raids. This decision has caused even greater outrage from protesters and Democratic leaders who have expressed concern about the possible escalation of the national crisis.
The deployment of Marines and National Guard members to the streets of Los Angeles is part of a federal strategy to suppress street demonstrations against immigration raids, which are part of Trump’s signature effort in his second term.
Although the Marines’ mission to protect federal personnel and property is temporary, filling gaps until the full 4,000-strong National Guard arrives in Los Angeles, the deployment of 700 professional military personnel represents an extraordinary and excessive use of military force in support of a police operation, and comes despite opposition from state and local leaders who have not requested assistance.
The military and federal law enforcement operations have further polarized the two major US political parties, as Trump, a Republican, threatened to arrest California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for resisting federal measures. California sued the Trump administration on Monday to block the deployment of the National Guard and Marines, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty.
Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to carry out more raids to arrest suspected immigration violators, extending the crackdown that has sparked the protests. Trump officials have called the protests lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for allowing the unrest.
As we have previously written, the National Guard represents troops belonging to US states, that is, under the control of their governors, but in emergencies they can also be considered reservists of the US military. In this particular case, it is not clear whether Trump had the authority to call out the National Guard.
It is even less clear whether Trump was allowed to order the dispatch of an elite unit of 700 US military personnel to California. Such moves have been prohibited since an 1878 decision, and such actions cannot be taken by a US president without the approval of Congress, except in cases of clear armed rebellion against federal institutions.
Trump, admittedly, is no stranger to such moves, considering that he had already threatened to send the army to the streets of American cities in 2020 during protests following the release of the murderer of Trayvon Martin, but both the Pentagon and the military command rejected such a request, Klix.ba writes.
