Trump sends Marines to LA, doubles number of National Guard

The United States military has said that the Pentagon will send a Marine battalion to Los Angeles in a major escalation of President Donald Trump’s response to anti-immigration enforcement protests.

The statement on Monday confirmed the “activation” of 700 Marines to help protect federal personnel and property in the California city, where Trump had deployed the National Guard a day earlier.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said later on Monday that an “additional” 2,000 National Guard troops would also be mobilized.

The announcements came despite opposition from state officials, including California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who has mounted a legal challenge to the deployment of the National Guard.

In a statement, the military said the “activation of the Marines” was meant to help “provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency”.

Source: Al Jazeera