Los Angeles is one of the biggest minority-majority cities in the US. (image-X/PresidentXiCHN)
Los Angeles, US: President Donald Trump on Monday authorised the deployment of 2,000 additional National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to Los Angeles, bringing the total troop presence to nearly 4,000. The deployment aims to quell ongoing protests against immigration raids that began last Friday and have spread across the city.
California officials swiftly condemned the move, with Governor Gavin Newsom calling it reckless and “disrespectful to our troops,” warning it was more about ego than public safety. “Trump is trying to provoke chaos by sending 4,000 soldiers onto American soil,” he said on social media platform X. Los Angeles is one of the biggest minority-majority cities in the US.
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The deployment was ordered without the consent of the state, prompting California Attorney General Rob Bonta to file a lawsuit challenging what he termed an unlawful and unconstitutional use of state National Guard troops. “We don’t take lightly to the president abusing his authority,” Bonta said at a press briefing.
According to officials, the active-duty Marines, deployed from the Twenty-nine Palms base in Southern California, are being tasked with protecting federal buildings and personnel, particularly immigration agents.
The Anti-ICE protests are spreading.
There are now large protests sprouting up in New York City. This isn’t just happening in Los Angeles anymore. pic.twitter.com/rYf7s1QMV3
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) June 9, 2025
The protests, sparked by aggressive federal immigration raids that detained more than 40 people on Friday, continued into their fourth day with a massive rally at Los Angeles City Hall and demonstrations outside a downtown federal detention center. While Monday’s protests were largely peaceful, with people dancing and singing, tensions escalated in the afternoon as crowds chanted “Free them all!” and confronted troops and federal officers.
Sunday had seen more violent scenes, with protesters setting self-driving cars on fire, blocking freeways, and clashing with police using tear gas and rubber bullets. Dozens were arrested, including one individual who threw a Molotov cocktail.
One of the most ethnically diverse cities in America, Los Angeles, and everyone is marching together in a peaceful protest against the fascist authoritarian Trump regime and his Nazi ICE Gestapo. Viva democracy! Viva Los Angeles! 🙌🙏💪👏👊🇺🇸👇 pic.twitter.com/Nq26KrExvj
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) June 9, 2025
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell expressed concern that the deployment of Marines occurred without proper coordination with local law enforcement. “This presents a significant logistical and operational challenge,” he said in a statement, though he added that the LAPD was capable of managing large-scale demonstrations.
Governor Newsom, who visited the city on Sunday, warned demonstrators against violent tactics, saying it would only play into Trump’s hands. “Trump wants chaos and he’s instigated violence,” Newsom said. “Stay peaceful. Stay focused,” he added.
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The federal deployment marks the first time in decades that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without a governor’s request. The last such instance was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama during the civil rights movement. Trump invoked a rarely used provision that allows federal troop deployment in the face of rebellion or danger to federal authority.
Protests have now spread beyond Los Angeles to other California cities, including Whittier and Huntington Park, with activists mobilizing against what they view as a sweeping and unjust immigration crackdown. Families of detainees, such as that of Jacob Vasquez, are demanding immediate information and release of their loved ones.
