Topline
The 700 U.S. Marines sent to respond to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles will end their deployment, a spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed to Forbes on Monday—days after the administration began withdrawing National Guard troops deployed for the same purpose.
A line of uniformed Marines stand in riot gear outside a federal building in Los Angeles on June 14. … More
Key Facts
“With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement sent to Forbes on Monday.
The Pentagon previously withdrew about 2,000 of the 4,000 National Guardsmen also deployed in June.
The Marines deployed were stationed at the military base in Twentynine Palms, California, and the Pentagon did not say exactly when the withdrawal from Los Angeles would begin.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Key Background
President Donald Trump first deployed the California National Guard on June 7 in response to the protests against immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles. The deployment was quickly expanded to include 700 Marines, which officials said was to protect federal buildings and employees in Los Angeles during the protests. Protests began slowing down in mid-June, but the troops remained in the city. On Monday, the Pentagon praised the Marines’ response, with Parnell insisting they were “instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law.”
Chief Critic
The deployments received considerable pushback from California leaders, and were unsuccessfully challenged in court by the state. On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass claimed victory after news of the Marines’ withdrawal broke. “This was an unnecessary deployment,” she said in a video posted on social media. “This is a victory, we have many more victories to go, because we need all of these victories to end.”