WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military will temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday.
About 300 California National Guard units were deployed on the streets of Los Angeles to help protest the third day of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, a step for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The official said on anonymity that a battalion would be sent, but for now, the rebellion bill is not expected to be cited.
The National Guard number is expected to increase to 2,000 by Wednesday, until then, the Marines are expected to provide support. It is not clear what they are going to do.
The situation was smooth and could change, officials added.
Although the U.S. military cannot conduct law enforcement activities within the U.S. without invoking the Uprising Act, the Pentagon is often asked to respond to national crises, from border missions to disaster relief to health emergencies. For example, during the pandemic, the U.S. military established temporary hospitals.
(Reported by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editors by Mark Porter and Rod Nickel)
