The Trump administration has escalated its response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles by mobilizing approximately 700 U.S. Marines, joining thousands of National Guard troops already deployed in the city.
President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members over the weekend, bypassing the usual requirement for a governor’s request and invoking federal authority under a rarely used provision of U.S. law. On Monday, the Trump administration activated 700 Marines to join the National Guard in Los Angeles.
Despite the scale of the deployment, the Marines’ role is strictly limited. According to multiple U.S. officials, both the Marines and National Guard troops are tasked exclusively with protecting federal buildings and personnel. They are not authorized to patrol city streets, detain protesters, or engage in crowd control unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act, a step that has not been taken as of this report.
Nearly 70 people were arrested in Los Angeles over the weekend.
The deployment has ignited a fierce legal and political battle. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing that the federalization of the National Guard and the mobilization of Marines without state consent represent a “serious breach of state sovereignty”. Local officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, have blamed the federal response for inflaming tensions and undermining local efforts to maintain order.
This is the first time in American history that a president has deployed active-duty U.S. military forces, such as the Marines, on American soil without a request from a state governor. A few presidents have previously federalized the National Guard without a governor’s request:
1965: Selma, Alabama
The last significant instance before 2025 where a president bypassed a governor to deploy the National Guard against civil unrest occurred in 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard without the consent of Governor George Wallace to protect civil rights marchers during the Selma to Montgomery marches. Johnson’s action was aimed at safeguarding protestors from potential violence rather than suppressing them, but it remains a rare example of presidential intervention over a governor’s objections.
1992: Los Angeles Riots
During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, President George H.W. Bush deployed federal troops and the National Guard, but this was done at the request of California’s governor, not unilaterally. The military was used to restore order after the acquittal of police officers involved in the beating of Rodney King.
2020: George Floyd Protests
In 2020, President Trump urged governors to deploy the National Guard to quell protests following the death of George Floyd. While some governors complied, Trump did not directly federalize state troops or deploy active-duty military without state consent.
LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the following in a statement: “The LAPD has not received any formal notification that the Marines will be arriving in Los Angeles. However, the possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles—absent clear coordination— present a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city. The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, has decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively. That said, our top priority is the safety of both the public and officers on the ground. We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time.
