About 700 U.S. Marines being mobilized in response to LA protests

About 700 U.S. Marines have been activated to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the country, U.S. Northern Command confirmed on Monday.

The Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, based at U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, will join the National Guard troops who were activated by U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend to protect "federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area," according to a statement released by U.S. Northern Command.

U.S. Northern Command said the Marine infantry battalion has been placed in an alert status over the weekend.

CNN noted that the deployment of the full Marine battalion marks a significant escalation in Trump's use of the military as a show of force against protesters.

Like the National Guard troops, the Marines are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity, such as making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, which permits the president to use the military to end an insurrection or rebellion of federal power, said the report.

Twentynine Palms is around 220 kilometers east of downtown Los Angeles. ABC News reported that those Marines are expected to arrive over the next 24 hours.

California Governor Gavin Newsom responded in a post on X, saying the Marines "shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President."

"This is un-American," he added.

Newsom's press office said in a post on X, "From our understanding, this is moving Marines from one base to another base."

"At this time, the information we have is that Marines are not being deployed," said Newsom's press office, adding that "there is a difference between that and being mobilized."

"The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented – mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens," the office noted.

Trump took extraordinary action on June 7 by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in the Los Angeles region, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of Newsom.

The Trump administration has argued that former President Joe Biden's administration allowed far too many immigrants to enter the country and Democratic-run cities such as Los Angeles are improperly interfering with efforts to deport them.

The president said on Monday he felt he had no choice but to order the deployment to prevent acts of violence from spiraling out of control.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a release that his office had sued.

The suit accuses Trump of exceeding his authority under the statute and asks a court to declare his actions as unlawful.

Returning to the White House on Monday after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his "border czar," Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor.

"I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great," Trump replied. "Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing."

About 300 National Guard troops arrived early Sunday morning in downtown Los Angeles. More than 1,000 protesters clashed and faced off with National Guard troops in the city on Sunday during the demonstrations against immigration raids that swept across California over the weekend.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)