Donald Trump mobilises Marines in Los Angeles amid immigration protests

United States President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the mobilisation of the Marine Corps in Los Angeles amid protests against immigration raids.

The Marine Corps is a branch of the US Armed Forces that acts as a crisis response force. It is rarely deployed domestically during civil disturbances in support of a police operation.

Over 700 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California were mobilised to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, CNN reported.

The troops will join the National Guard troops – a reserve component of the US military – deployed over the weekend to quell the protests.

The US Northern Command said that the Marines will “seamlessly integrate” with the National Guard troops “protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area”.

The deployment comes amid demonstrations sparked by recent raids and arrests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the deportation processes.

These raids are part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on undocumented immigrants.

Protests began on Friday in downtown Los Angeles and spread by Saturday to areas such as Paramount and Compton, CBS reported.

Federal agents had carried out arrests in several other locations during the day.

On Sunday, tensions escalated after thousands of protesters took to the...

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