Federal News Roundup: Marines Deployed to Los Angeles as Protests and Legal Battles Escalate

Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy military forces to Los Angeles has drawn national attention, as approximately 200 U.S. Marines began guarding the Wilshire Federal Building on Friday, June 13, following a week of protests over federal immigration enforcement actions. The deployment marks a rare instance of active-duty military involvement in domestic affairs and has sparked legal and political controversy.

The Marines, outfitted in combat gear and armed, replaced National Guard troops at the federal building, freeing Guard members to support law enforcement during ongoing immigration raids across the city. The Marines’ primary mission is to protect federal property and personnel, not to conduct law enforcement operations, according to Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 overseeing the 4,700 combined troops in the area.

The deployment follows President Trump’s federalization of more than 2,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines in response to widespread protests against his administration’s immigration policies. The protests, which began on June 6, have included confrontations between demonstrators and police, with incidents of property damage and nearly 500 arrests reported, mostly for failure to disperse. Nine officers have sustained minor injuries, and some demonstrators have been charged with more serious offenses, including assault and possession of weapons.

The legality of Trump’s deployment has been challenged by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who filed a lawsuit arguing the president’s actions were “illegal” and an “alarming abuse of power.” A federal judge initially sided with Newsom, ordering Trump to return control of the California National Guard to the state, but an appeals court temporarily blocked that ruling. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to review the case further on June 17.

In a notable incident on Friday, Marines briefly detained a civilian, Army veteran Marcos Leao, after he inadvertently crossed a restricted area near the federal building. Military officials confirmed that active-duty troops are authorized to temporarily detain individuals who pose threats to federal property or personnel, but must promptly transfer them to civilian law enforcement authorities. Leao was released after being handed over to Department of Homeland Security officials.

The situation in Los Angeles remains tense as further demonstrations are anticipated, and the Trump administration signals readiness to deploy additional troops to other cities if necessary. Democratic governors nationwide have condemned the federal deployments, calling them an overreach of executive authority.

These developments underscore a period of heightened federal intervention in local affairs, with significant implications for civil-military relations, public safety, and the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement in the United States.