Pentagon deploys 700 Marines to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests

Marines deployed to Los Angeles to assist National Guard amid immigration protests, sparking legal battle with California.

The Pentagon deployed about 700 Marines to Los Angeles on Monday (June 10, 2025) to help National Guard members respond to immigration protests, officials said, as California prepared to sue U.S. President Donald Trump over his use of the Guard troops and demonstrators took to the city's streets for a fourth day.

The Marines are being deployed from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command said in a statement.

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The Marines and National Guard troops are not expected to do law enforcement duties, which are prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act. Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act to allow them to do law enforcement. It is not clear if he intends to.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement Monday afternoon he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines’ arrival without coordinating with the police department presented a “significant logistical and operational challenge” for them.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the planned lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops by telling reporters that Trump had “trampled” the state’s sovereignty.