After US Marines began guarding a Los Angeles Wilshire Federal Building, they detained a man who walked into the property later on Friday (early Saturday morning in India). This was the first time the federal troops detained a civilian since they were deployed to the city by President Donald Trump. The incident has showcased that the deployment of the 700 marines to the city has allowed them to carry out law enforcement actions.
The detained person was later identified as Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old veteran.
Other than 700 marines, 4000 national guards were also deployed to the state early on during the Los Angeles protests. The deployment was done without the consent of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who filed a lawsuit against Trump’s taking control of the forces.
On Friday, a senior US judge, Charles Breyer, ruled that Trump had unlawfully federalised thousands of California’s National Guard to quell protesters and must return control immediately. On the 36-page ruling, he said that Trump’s “actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must, therefore, return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.” The court order had only applied to the national guards, however, since the judge rejected a request by the state to block the marines since they had not made any moves yet.
Yesterday, however, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the judge’s ruling that asked Trump to return the control of the National Guard troops back to the state.
Amid the Los Angeles protests, tensions have been rising between Trump and Newsom, with the governor voicing protests against Trump’s militarisation of LA. On Friday, he posted on X “The court just confirmed what we all know: The military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets. End the unnecessary militarisation of Los Angeles now, @realDonaldTrump.” He added that Trump’s refusal to do so will confirm his authoritarian tendencies.
The appeals court’s decision has allowed the National Guard to remain in the state. After the ruling, Trump made a post on Truth Social thanking the court for the decision.” The Appeals Court ruled last night that I can use the National Guard to keep our cities, in this case Los Angeles, safe. If I didn’t send the Military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now. We saved LA. Thank you for the Decision!!!,” he said.
According to the New York Times, authorities in LA are preparing for a bigger turnout of protests on Saturday against Trump’s crackdown on immigration. The Los Angeles protests, which began as a response to a raid by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had spread all over the country last week. About 400 people have been arrested since the protest began, and the city is currently put under curfew.
Newson is continuing to challenge Trump’s deployment of the National Guard. Meanwhile, on Tuesday at the Oval Office, Trump threatened that anyone who protests at the Military parade in Washington on June 14 will be met with “very big force.”
US Marines detain civilian in Los Angeles, as Trump tussles with states, courts on federal deployment
