Marines sent to LA protests

About 700 US Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles as protests against deportations continued for a fourth day on Monday.

The US Northern Command confirmed it had deployed the Marines to join some 2,100 federalized National Guard troops under the newly designated Task Force 51 in Los Angeles. The Marines, along with Guard soldiers, received training in de-escalation and crowd control and operated under standing rules for the use of force.

Protests also sprang up in at least nine other US cities on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In New York, nearly 36 percent of residents are foreign-born.

Several hundred protesters chanted "free them all" outside a federal detention facility in Los Angeles on Monday, where immigrants have been held. National Guard troops and police formed a perimeter around the building.

"What is happening affects every American, everyone who wants to live free, regardless of how long their family has lived here," said Marzita Cerrato, 42, a first-generation immigrant who said her parents are from Mexico and Honduras.

California sued the Trump administration on Monday to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty.

Shortly after, Governor Gavin Newsom said he had been told that President Donald Trump is deploying another 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

"LA: Your voice matters. Trump is trying to provoke chaos by sending 4,000 soldiers onto American soil," Newsom posted on X on Monday evening. "Foolish agitators who take advantage of Trump's chaos will be held accountable."

In a post on his Truth Social on Monday, Trump said: "We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated."

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that the introduction of federal military forces poses serious challenges to local operations.

"The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city," McDonnell said in a statement Monday.

As of midday Monday, law enforcement agencies reported 53 arrests related to protests in downtown Los Angeles. The LAPD made 31 arrests on charges including failure to disperse, throwing objects and fireworks at officers, looting, and arson. The California Highway Patrol arrested 17 individuals — mostly for entering and blocking the 101 Freeway — while the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department added five more arrests.

During his term, former US president Joe Biden had directed federal immigration authorities to prioritize deportations involving individuals with serious criminal records and reduce the scale of deportations.

However, since returning to office for a second term earlier this year, Trump has reversed many of those policies. His administration has reinstated ICE operations, widened the scope of deportation targets to include those with minor or no criminal history, and expanded federal enforcement powers.

The Trump administration originally deployed approximately 300 National Guard troops to LA under the authority of Title 10 of the US Code, without consent from Newsom. Legal scholars and civil rights groups have questioned the legality of the deployment.

The National Guard troops were deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where the protesters were concentrated.

Newsom warned that federal interference undermines California's sovereignty. "This is not about protecting public safety. ... This is about creating a political spectacle," he said, urging Trump to rescind the order.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for a retreat of federal forces. "What we need right now is de-escalation, not militarization," she said.

Bass and Newsom both said that local law enforcement was prepared to manage the situation.

Former vice-president Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in the November presidential election, called the federal crackdown "authoritarian overreach", while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was a misuse of federal power against people exercising their constitutional right to protest.

On Sunday afternoon, a heavy cloud of smoke and the acrid stench of burning metal lingered over downtown Los Angeles.

The downtown area, punctuated by the wail of sirens, helicopters circling overhead and sporadic explosions of police flash-bang grenades, transformed the usually bustling city into what some described as an "apocalyptic" scene.

The protests, sparked by recent immigration raids and detentions conducted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, escalated after demonstrators attempted to block a major intersection near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where many detainees are being held.

After protesters began throwing objects and attempted to push through police lines, officers in riot gear responded with tear gas, batons and rubber bullets.

At least three self-driving Waymo vehicles were vandalized and set ablaze. Demonstrators smashed the vehicles' windows before setting them on fire. Flames quickly engulfed one vehicle as onlookers chanted slogans.

Videos shared on social media showed the charred remains of the self-driving vehicles smoldering as night fell on the city.

Around the detention center and nearby LA City Hall, tensions escalated as protesters squared off against authorities, including mounted police. Demonstrators hurled debris such as fragments of concrete, rocks, glass bottles and fireworks at the officers. Some protesters threw objects repeatedly, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Armed officers held their ground until the crowd surged forward. The authorities used crowd control weapons including rubber bullets and tear gas, which eventually forced the protesters to retreat.

The charred remains of cars, spent tear gas canisters and shards of glass littered the streets.

"This is not just about immigration," said one protester, identified only as Luis. "This is about who gets to belong in this country. This government doesn't represent the people anymore. America was built by immigrants, and we should be opening our doors, not shutting them," Luis added.

A UCLA student who identified herself as Maya said: "It's heartbreaking. Families are being torn apart. People come here seeking a better life, and instead they're met with raids and fear. It's not fair."

Agencies contributed to this story.

renali@chinadailyusa.com