The Trump administration is sending about 700 active duty Marines to reinforce the National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles, a person familiar with the matter said, continuing an escalation that California officials have called unwarranted.
A Defense Department official said the Marines, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, were on the move after getting notice over the weekend. CNN reported the plans earlier Monday.
Sending active-duty Marines marks an escalation in force from President Donald Trump in response to the protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom had earlier criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for saying Marines could be deployed, calling the threat “deranged behavior.”
US law generally bars the use of the active-duty U.S. military — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — from carrying out domestic law enforcement. The law doesn’t apply to state-controlled National Guard forces. On Sunday, Trump signed an order directing the US Northern Command to assume control of the National Guard and dispatch at least 2,000 soldiers to the area.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://southfloridareporter.com/pentagon-sends-700-marines-to-los-angeles-escalating-response-to-protests/&media=https://southfloridareporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LA-Protest-1.webp&description=President Trump defended the deployment, saying local officials were "overwhelmed" and that he is prepared to "bring in more if we needed" to maintain "law and order".){kind=link}