Pentagon withdraws 700 Marines from Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES—The Pentagon ordered the US Marines to leave Los Angeles on Monday, more than a month after President Donald Trump deployed them to the city to protect federal buildings and personnel amid violent protests.
The 700 Marines were deployed on June 9 on the fourth day of protests in downtown LA over the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Four thousand National Guard soldiers were also deployed.
Their presence in the city had been limited to two locations with federal buildings in Los Angeles, including the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and detention facility downtown. During their deployment outside a federal complex in west LA, the Marines temporarily detained a man who said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment.
The decision to pull back the Marines comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. The rest remain.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
‘Incompetence’
Trump had called in the National Guard and the Marines over alleged incompetence of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in handling the protests, which saw rioting in the city where local law enforcers were violently attacked by protesters.
Bass held a press conference on Monday morning ahead of the announcement of the withdrawal with several leaders of veteran groups who raised concerns about the deployment of military troops on domestic soil. They called for the remainder of troops to be withdrawn from Los Angeles.
“This is another win for Los Angeles but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving.”
California Governor Newsom sued the federal government in June over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump violated the law when he activated the troops without notifying him. Newsom also asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids.
While a lower court ordered Trump to return control of the Guard to California, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals last month temporarily blocked the judge’s order.
‘Send all military home’
In response to the Pentagon’s announcement pulling back the Marines, Newsom reiterated his call for the remaining Guard troops to be sent home as well.
Local authorities have disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of the city as a “war zone.”
The protests in Los Angeles have been largely limited to a few blocks downtown containing City Hall, federal buildings and an immigration detention facility. Demonstrations in the city and the region in recent weeks have been largely small impromptu protests around arrests.
In one of the most raucous days of protest, thousands of people took to the streets on June 8 in response to Trump’s deployment of the Guard, blocking off a major freeway as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Photos of the riots showed several Waymo robotaxis set on fire.
A day later, police officers used flash bangs and shot projectiles as they pushed protesters through Little Tokyo, where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way.
Bass set a curfew in place for about a week that she said had successfully protected businesses and helped restore order.
