US Marines arrive in LA on Trump's orders as immigration protests persist

LOS ANGELES: Hundreds of US Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday (Jun 10) under orders from President Donald Trump, as the city's mayor declared a curfew for parts of the downtown area and police arrested 197 people in a fifth day of street protests.

Trump has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests in the city despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom that the deployments were unnecessary, illegal and politically motivated.

The city has seen five days of public protests since the Trump administration launched a series of immigration raids on Friday, with police arresting 197 people on Tuesday and Mayor Karen Bass announcing a curfew for 2.5 sq km of downtown Los Angeles that will last several days.

Even so, state and local officials have called Trump's response an extreme overreaction to mostly peaceful demonstrations.

About 700 Marines were in a staging area in the Seal Beach area about 50km south of Los Angeles, awaiting deployment to specific locations, a US official said.

California's two senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, said in a joint statement that active-duty military personnel should only be mobilised domestically "during the most extreme circumstances, and these are not them".

Trump, who has made the immigration crackdown his signature issue, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision, telling soldiers at the Army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina: "Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness."

"What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags," Trump said, adding his administration would "liberate Los Angeles".

Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity for the migrants rounded in a series of intensifying raids.

Homeland Security said Monday its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

MAYOR SAYS: STOP THE RAIDS

Los Angeles mayor Bass emphasised at a press conference that unrest has been limited to a few downtown blocks and she drew a distinction between the majority of demonstrators protesting peacefully and a smaller number of agitators she blamed for violence and looting.

She later told another briefing a curfew had been considered for several days but decided to impose one starting Tuesday night after 23 business were looted on Monday night.

In what has become a ritual each afternoon, police on Tuesday started forcing demonstrators away from the streets outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where many detained migrants are held. Multiple groups of protesters meandered through downtown Los Angeles, monitored or followed by police armed with less lethal munitions.

Police said they arrested 197 people, more than doubling the total number of arrests in the region since Saturday.

Nearby business owners who were scrubbing off graffiti and sweeping up litter said they did not support the immigration raids and felt Trump's response was only fanning the flames.

"I agree with what the protesters are defending - they're standing up for the Latino community," said Frank Chavez, 53, manager of an office building. "But there are a few carrying out vandalism and violence, and that must be stopped."

Protests took place in other cities including Chicago, where police led at least two demonstrators away in handcuffs from a combative march through downtown. Other protesters shouted "Shame! Shame!" as officers took away detained demonstrators.

Hundreds of people turned out for the evening protest, carrying signs with messages such as: "The people say ICE out" and "Immigrants made America".

"Even if they send the police, or dogs or whatever, we're always going to be out here," said protester Marquise Howard, 24.

MORE IMMIGRATION RAIDS

The Marines do not have arrest authority and will protect federal property and personnel, according to military officials. There were approximately 2,100 Guard troops in greater Los Angeles on Tuesday, with more on the way, the official said.

Newsom and the state sued Trump and the Defense Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters the state was concerned about allowing federal troops to protect personnel, saying there was a risk that could violate a 1878 law that generally forbids the US military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement.

"The federal property part I understand - defending and protecting federal buildings," Bonta said. "But protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE agents into communities and neighbourhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law."

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday posted photos on X of National Guard troops accompanying ICE officers on an immigration raid. Trump administration officials have vowed to redouble the immigration raids in response to the street protests.

Marines are trained for conflicts around the world and used for rapid deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to US embassies. Some units also learn riot and crowd control techniques.

Trump has left open the possibility of invoking the centuries-old Insurrection Act, which would allow the military to take part directly in civilian law enforcement.

Trump has made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his presidency, vowing to mass deport undocumented individuals. 

Jack Citrin, director emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, said the public’s attitudes towards immigration are complex and nuanced, with a mix of support and concerns about its impact. 

“The American public’s opinion … is quite divided. There is recognition that immigrants are hardworking and contribute to the economy. However, there's a stigma to illegal immigration,” he told CNA’s Asia First. 

Citrin said that immigrants make significant contributions to industries such as farming and construction – particularly in California, which has the largest immigrant community of any US state. 

He cautioned that a large number of deportations would cause labour shortage and economic impact.

He added that public opinion on the deployment is also split – those sympathetic towards the protesters are likely to be inflamed while others could view the troops as a threat deterrent.