As legal fight plays out, Noem vows to continue immigration crackdown

Reported by KRYSTA FAURIA, OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, and JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Approximately 200 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles to safeguard federal property and personnel following a week of protests against federal immigration raids, announced Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51, on Friday.

Task Force 51, overseeing the 4,700 troops deployed, has trained the Marines on civil disturbance, and the first group has moved to a federal building west of downtown Los Angeles to commence operations at noon local time.

This development comes in the wake of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halting a federal judge’s order that instructed President Donald Trump to relinquish control of National Guard troops to California. This occurred shortly after a federal judge deemed the Guard deployment illegal, violating the Tenth Amendment and exceeding Trump’s statutory authority.

Since last week, approximately 2,000 National Guard troops have been present in the city, with some offering protection to immigration agents conducting arrests. An additional 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week.

The 200 Marines will relieve soldiers currently guarding the federal building, enabling more National Guard members to protect federal agents during their operations, Sherman explained.

He clarified that none of the military personnel will be involved in detaining individuals. “I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities. Rather, they’ll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel,” Sherman stated.

Approximately 500 National Guard members have been tasked with providing security during immigration raids after undergoing extensive training, legal education, and rehearsals with enforcement agents before embarking on these missions.

It remains unclear whether the Marines will eventually provide security during raids. A total of 700 Marines have been trained for operations in Los Angeles.

The Marine deployment in Los Angeles coincides with a downtown curfew and the conclusion of protests after a few hours, resulting in arrests this week primarily for failure to disperse. On the third night of the 8 p.m. curfew, Department of Homeland Security officers employed flash bangs to disperse a crowd near the jail, prompting protesters to scatter.

Despite these incidents, the demonstrations have remained peaceful and lively, with a few hundred participants marching through downtown, chanting, dancing, and mocking the Trump administration’s depiction of the city as a “war zone.”

The protests were sparked by federal immigration raids that led to the arrest of numerous workers in Los Angeles. Over the weekend, protesters obstructed a major freeway and set vehicles ablaze. In response, police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades.

Protests have surged across the U.S., emerging in over a dozen major cities, some resulting in clashes with law enforcement and the arrest of hundreds.

The Marine movement in Los Angeles anticipates forthcoming demonstrations in cities nationwide over the weekend, alongside the potential deployment of troops by Trump to other states for immigration enforcement as governors deliberate on their course of action.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned the troop deployment as a “serious breach of state sovereignty” and a power grab by Trump, prompting legal action to halt it. Trump invoked a legal provision allowing mobilization of federal service members in the event of “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Under the Posse Comitatus Act, active-duty forces are prohibited from engaging in law enforcement activities.

Sherman highlighted that the U.S. Marine Corps is well-versed in safeguarding U.S. embassies abroad, equipping them with the necessary skills to defend federal buildings.