The Pentagon said Monday it was pulling out its deployment of about 700 active-duty Marines deployed to Los Angeles last month to safeguard federal property and staff amid a series of protests linked to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Partial Drawdown of National Guard Preceded Marines’ Pullout
The pullout follows the removal last week of about half of the 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles.
“With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: Lawlessness will not be tolerated,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
Trump’s Troop Deployment Faced State-Level Opposition
Trump sent Marines and California National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in June over the objections of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to suppress protests that had been spurred by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ raids on work sites.
Despite attempts at lawsuits, a U.S. appeals court allowed Trump to keep authority over California’s National Guard.
Trump’s move to deploy troops into Los Angeles stirred a national controversy regarding the deployment of the military on the country’s soil and fueled political tensions in the nation’s second-most-populous city.
Pentagon Praises Marines for Restoring Order
The Pentagon’s deployment has been justified as protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents so they can perform their tasks, and the Pentagon lauded the Marines on Monday.
“Their rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law,” Parnell said.
Immigration Raids and Deportation Plans Continue
Trump has promised to deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally and has conducted raids at workplaces such as farms that had been all but exempted from enforcement in his first term. The administration has been sued dozens of times nationwide over its methods.
Trump has increasingly relied on the military in his immigration crackdown.
Border Militarization Expands Beyond Los Angeles
Aside from deploying soldiers to Los Angeles, the Pentagon has sent thousands of active-duty troops to the Mexican border and has established military zones along the border.
The zones are aimed at enabling the Trump administration to deploy troops to detain migrants without triggering the 1807 Insurrection Act that authorizes a president to order the U.S. military to quell incidents such as civil unrest.
