Los Angeles braces for arrival of more troops in ‘crisis of Trump's own making'
Los Angeles was bracing for new troop arrivals on Tuesday after a quieter night following days of protests over federal immigration raids on local businesses and the Trump administration's decision to deploy soldiers against US residents.
The initial deployment of 300 national guard troops is expected to quickly expand to the full 4,000 that has been authorized by Donald Trump, with an additional 700 marines who could begin arriving on Tuesday.
The US Northern Command, or Northcom, said in a statement on Monday that marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division 'will seamlessly integrate' with forces 'who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area'.
Related: 'The language of authoritarianism': how Trump and allies cast LA as a lawless city needing military intervention
Northcom added that the forces had been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force – and that approximately 1,700 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a California national guard unit, were already in the greater Los Angeles area.
The national guard and marine detachments were being dispatched to the US's second largest city over the objections of California's governor, Gavin Newsom, and local officials. The state is suing the Trump administration over the deployment, claiming the president illegally federalized the national guard to confront protesters in Los Angeles.
California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, said on Monday that the state's sovereignty was 'trampled'. But Trump countered that his administration had 'no choice' but to send in troops. The national guard are not believed to be involved in crowd control but assigned to protect federal property.
'If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great city would be burning to the ground right now, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. do to an incompetent Governor and Mayor,' Trump posted to Truth Social early on Tuesday, referring to the response to wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles county late last year. Trump later deleted that post and published another with the correct spelling of 'due'.
But the deployment is strongly opposed by California Democrats – as well as every Democratic governor in the US. Senator Alex Padilla told the Associated Press on Tuesday that protests against the US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) as well as the subsequent legal showdown between his state and the government 'is absolutely a crisis of Trump's own making'.
'There are a lot of people who are passionate about speaking up for fundamental rights and respecting due process, but the deployment of national guard only serves to escalate tensions and the situation,' Padilla said. 'It's exactly what Donald Trump wanted to do.'
Padilla said the Los Angeles sheriff's department had not been advised of the federalization of the national guard. He said his office had pressed the Pentagon for a justification, and 'as far as we're told, the Department of Defense isn't sure what the mission is here'.
'Los Angeles is no stranger to demonstrations and protests and rallies and marches,' Padilla added. 'Local law enforcement knows how to handle this and has a rapport with the community and community leaders to be able to allow for that.'
The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, signaled support on his personal X account for deploying troops to California.
'Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty US Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,' he posted on X. 'We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers – even if Gavin Newsom will not.'
On Tuesday Hegseth testified before the House appropriations subcommittee on defense. The meeting was expected to focus on the nearly $1tn budget request for 2026, but Democrats were quick to question the defense secretary on the controversial move to deploy national guard and marines to LA.
Under questioning from Peter Aguilar, US representative for California's 33rd congressional district, Hegseth said national guard and federal forces had been sent into a 'deteriorating situation with equipment and capabilities'. 'We here to maintain the peace on behalf of law enforcement officers in Los Angeles, which Gavin Newsom won't do,' he said.
Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, asked the secretary about the cost of the deployment, and what training and other duties the troops were missing because of their presence in Los Angeles.
Hegseth said in response that Ice 'has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country'.
'The police chief said she was overwhelmed, so we helped.'
Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, said on Monday that the department and its local partners have decades of experiencing responding to large-scale demonstrations and that they were confident in their ability to continue doing so.
'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,' he said.
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