US Army temporarily sends 700 Marines to Los Angeles

The US Army temporarily sends around 700 Marines to Los Angeles, Reuters news agency reports late on Monday evening. According to the US Northern Command, the Marines must « protect federal buildings and staff » until more soldiers from the National Guard arrive in the city.

The Marines and the National Guard cannot perform direct law enforcement activities, as long as the so -called Insurrection Act has not entered into force. An anonymous official tells Reuters that Trump’s government is not yet planning to appeal to that law. But the arrival of the Marines is a new escalation of the already extremely tense situation in Los Angeles.

On Monday there were again hundreds of protesters at the detention center for immigrants in the center of the city and in another place where immigrants are held.

Governor Gavin Newsom of the state of California announced on Monday to sue Trump because of the deployment of the National Guard. According to him, that is illegal and that only ensures ‘the further lighting’ of the atmosphere.

Trump: Newsom arrest would be ‘great’

Donald Trump in turn responded in agreement to the suggestion that Newsom should be arrested. « I would do it if I was Tom, » he said referring to the « borders’ Tom Homan who threatened to arrest Newsom before if he hindered the work of the immigration service. « Gavin loves publicity, but I think it would be something great, » said Trump.

In the meantime, protests against Trump’s expansion policy have also been announced in other major cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco.