Hundreds of Marines have arrived in Los Angeles following US President Donald Trump‘s directive to deploy them in response to ongoing protests against immigrant arrests.The move has been met with strong opposition from state authorities, who argue that the militarization of the city is unwarranted.

The 700 elite troops are expected to join the 4,000 National Guard members already planned for deployment, considerably increasing the military presence in Los Angeles, a city with a large immigrant population and a considerable Latin community.The demonstrations, now in their fifth day, have largely been peaceful but have seen instances of clashes with law enforcement.

The protests were triggered by an intensification of President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, including workplace raids aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants. On Monday night, in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, protesters faced riot police, with some demonstrators launching flares and police responding with tear gas.

Protesters have marched with banners, chanting slogans such as “Out of Los Angeles!” and “Be the National Guard!”, directing their anger towards immigration agents and reservists. California officials maintain that the majority of protesters have been peaceful and that the state is capable of maintaining order independently.

Political Fallout and Reactions

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has strongly condemned the deployment, stating that American Marines “shoudl not be deployed on American soil facing their own compatriots to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. This is antiestadounidense.”

“They are supposed to protect us, but in reality, they are as sent to attack us,” Kelly Diemer, 47, told AFP. “This is no longer a democracy.”

President Trump has labeled the protesters as “professional and insurgents,” asserting that without the troop deployment, “this city that in the past was big and gorgeous would be burning at this moment,” as he wrote on his social truth platform on Tuesday.

Reactions from Los angeles residents have been mixed. One small business owner, whose property was vandalized during the protests, expressed support for President trump’s approach, stating, “I think it is indeed necessary to stop vandalism.” Others, like Kelly Diemer, 47, have voiced concerns, telling AFP, “They are supposed to protect us, but in reality, they are as sent to attack us. This is no longer a democracy.”

Legal and Historical Context

Rachel Vanlandham, a professor at the Southwestern Law Faculty in los Angeles and a retired colonel of the united States Air Force, described President Trump’s use of the military as an “incredibly unusual” measure. The National Guard, typically under the control of state governors, is frequently enough deployed in response to natural disasters.

The last time a president deployed National Guard troops against the wishes of a state governor was in 1965, during the Civil Rights Movement. Deploying regular troops like the Marine infantry is even more uncommon, as US law generally prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement unless an insurrection occurs.

Speculation has arisen that President Trump might invoke the insurrection Act, which would grant him broad authority to use regular troops for law enforcement nationwide. The Pentagon announced that President Trump authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National guard troops to Los angeles, following an initial deployment of 2,000 announced earlier.

The State of California has filed a lawsuit to block the use of the National Guard troops, and Governor Newsom has announced plans to file a separate lawsuit against the deployment of the Marines.