The Trump administration announced on Monday the deployment of 700 U.S. Marines and thousands more National Guard troops to Los Angeles, a move that triggered a scathing reaction from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who condemned the decision as “deranged.”
The federal buildup follows earlier action taken on Saturday, when President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard personnel to mobilize in response to intensifying protests in Los Angeles.
By Sunday, approximately 300 of them had taken up positions to guard federal properties and personnel.
With demonstrations entering their fourth day, sparked by opposition to immigration raids and marked by occasional clashes with law enforcement, the Trump administration escalated its response.
A senior official confirmed to AFP that “active-duty US Marines from Camp Pendleton will be deployed to Los Angeles to help protect federal agents and buildings.”
Initially, the number of Marines was put at 500, but the figure was later revised to 700.
The U.S. military also verified the move, stating that “approximately 700 Marines” from an infantry battalion would be deployed, describing their mission as a coordinated effort to “seamlessly integrate” with the National Guard units already present in the city.
This decision to deploy active-duty Marines in a civilian environment is highly unusual and underscores the federal government’s determination to maintain control amid the unrest.
Adding to the federal presence, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the call-up of “an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties.”
However, there was ambiguity about whether this meant 2,000 new troops or if it included those already stationed in Los Angeles.
California’s Democratic governor, who was not consulted before the initial deployment, responded with fury on social media. “Trump is trying to provoke chaos by sending 4,000 soldiers onto American soil,” Newsom wrote on X. Earlier in the day, he denounced what he described as a “deranged” act by a “dictatorial” Trump.
The possibility of Marine involvement was first suggested over the weekend by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, adding fuel to an already heated political and civil atmosphere in the nation’s second-largest city.
