President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it was sending 700 US Marines to Los Angeles, sparking a furious response from California’s governor over the “deranged” deployment.
A senior administration official told AFP that after clashes over immigration raids “active-duty US Marines from Camp Pendleton will be deployed to Los Angeles to help protect federal agents and buildings.”
The official first gave a figure of 500 Marines, but later updated the number to 700.
The US military separately confirmed the deployment of “approximately 700 Marines” from an infantry battalion to the United States’ second-largest city following the unrest.
They would “seamlessly integrate” with National Guard forces that Republican President Trump deployed there without the consent of California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday.
The deployment was meant to ensure there were “adequate numbers of forces,” it added.
Newsom slammed the “deranged” decision Monday by “dictatorial” Trump in a post on X.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had first mentioned that the Marines could be deployed — a highly unusual measure against civilians — on Saturday.
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