ALBAWABA - US President Donald Trump sent 700 Marines to Los Angeles in addition to an extra 2,000 National Guard troops to control the situation amid ongoing protests, which erupted against federal immigration raids.
Earlier, the Associated Press revealed that an initial 2,000 Guard soldiers were sent by the US president to LA, and they began arriving Sunday, which saw the most violent day during three days of protests driven by anger over Trump’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told ABC News on L. A. protests, "You know, one of our core principles is maintaining peace through strength. We do that on foreign affairs and domestic affairs as well. I don’t think that’s heavy-handed."
Bernie Sanders wrote on X regarding the chaos in the city: "Dr. King defeated racist government officials & ended segregation through disciplined non-violent resistance Defeating Trumpism, oligarchy & authoritarianism requires that same level of discipline. Violent protests are counterproductive and play right into Trump’s playbook."
Hegseth threatened on Sunday to deploy Marines alongside the National Guard, which President Donald Trump had ordered to be deployed after signing a memorandum giving the Secretary of Defense the authority to "employ any members of the Armed Forces as necessary to reinforce, support, and protect federal property in any number he deems appropriate in his discretion."
The memo also showed that the administration seeks to deploy at least 2,000 National Guard members for 60 days or a period determined by Hegseth.
"The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," Hegseth said in a post on X on Sunday.
Via Truth Social, Donald Trump posted about the Los Angeles protesters, describing them as "troublemakers and insurrectionists." He said, "These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists."
