The Trump administration is sending hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles to assist law enforcement with quelling ongoing riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to multiple reports.
Roughly 500 troops from 29 Palms, Calif., will be under the U.S. Northern Command and will not engage with protesters, the Wall Street Journal reported. The troops could arrive to the L.A. area as soon as Monday night.
President Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Sunday night to “take all such action necessary” to end the riots and restore order in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, California is suing Trump and Hegseth for federalizing the state’s National Guard and deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to temper the riots.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and state Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced the lawsuit Monday after rioters assaulted law enforcement, committed acts of vandalism, shut down the 101 freeway, attacked government vehicles, and set fire to self driving Waymo cars.
“This is a manufactured crisis. He is creating fear and terror to take over a state militia and violate the U.S. constitution. The illegal order he signed could allow him to send the military into ANY STATE HE WISHES,” Newsom said of Trump.
“This is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism that threatens the foundation of our republic.”
Trump called in the National Guard over the objections of state and local law enforcement to prevent the rioting from getting out of hand. Bonta and Newsom’s lawsuit argues that Trump’s directive violates the Tenth Amendment and are asking a court to block Trump’s order to deploy the National Guardsmen.
“Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President’s authority under the law – and not one we take lightly. We’re asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order,” Bonta said.
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) failed to get the situation under control over the weekend after riots erupted on Friday when ICE agents were conducting immigration raids in the LA County area. Trump quickly announced his intention to deploy the National Guard once the rioters attempted to interfere with federal immigration enforcement and overwhelmed local law enforcement.
“It took over two hours for the Los Angeles Police Department to respond, despite being called multiple times. The brave men and women of ICE were in Los Angeles arresting criminal illegal aliens including gang members, drug traffickers and those with a history of assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery, and smuggling,” ICE acting director Todd Lyons said Saturday.
Newsom and Trump have been in a war of words over the governor’s lax approach to the riots and deflection of blame onto Trump for the situation. Newsom even taunted the Trump administration about potentially arresting Newsom, a possibility Trump endorsed when asked about it Monday.
“We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated. The very incompetent ‘Governor,’ Gavin Newscum, and ‘Mayor,’ Karen Bass, should be saying, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR.'” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday afternoon.
Rioters could be seen holding up the flags of foreign nations, especially Mexico, as they celebrated the property damage and protested against deportations back to Mexico and other nations. Left-wing activists were also spotted wearing keffiyehs, a Palestinian scarf common at anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations.
The Trump administration is attempting to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history and mitigate illegal immigration across the southern border. ICE raids on Democratically-run sanctuary cities including Los Angeles have been part of the administration’s effort to track down and detain illegal aliens, especially violent criminals and suspected gang members.