Trump mobilizes Marines for duty in Los Angeles

The Trump administration is mobilizing 700 Marines based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., for Los Angeles, the scene of protests against immigration enforcement operations, a defense official confirmed with NPR before it was publicly announced.

U.S. Northern Command said in a statement on Monday that the infantry battalion had been put on “alert status” over the weekend and will be working with the National Guard “who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.”

Another U.S. official told NPR the mobilization was not an invocation of the Insurrection Act. President Trump, though he has referred to protesters as “insurrectionists,” has not said that the clashes amount to an insurrection.

“I wouldn’t call it quite an insurrection, but it could have led to an insurrection,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. He also said that the situation in California was “heading in the right direction” when asked if he would deploy Marines.

The activation of Marines came the same day California sued the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles.

In their lawsuit, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Trump’s activation of the Guard violated the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because Newsom did not ask for the troops.

Trump on Truth Social said Monday that Los Angeles would be “completely obliterated” without his deployment of the Guard.

Over the weekend, the White House said that active duty armed forces could be used to “augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property,” the same missions the Guard is performing.

The administration has in total deployed 2,000 Guard personnel to the city.