By JAIMIE DING, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pentagon ordered the U.S. Marines to leave Los Angeles on Monday, more than a month after President Donald Trump deployed them to the city against the objections of local leaders.
The 700 Marines were deployed June 9 on the fourth day of protests in downtown LA over the administration’s crackdown on immigration. Four thousand National Guard soldiers were also deployed.
Their presence in the city had been limited to two locations with federal buildings in Los Angeles, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and detention facility downtown. During their deployment outside a federal complex in west LA, the Marines temporarily detained a man who said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment.
The decision to pull back the Marines comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. The rest remain.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference Monday morning ahead of the announcement with several leaders of veteran groups who raised concerns about the deployment of military troops on domestic soil. They called for the remainder of troops to be withdrawn from Los Angeles.
“This is another win for Los Angeles but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the federal government in June over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump violated the law when he activated the troops without notifying him. Newsom also asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids.
While a lower court ordered Trump to return control of the Guard to California, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month temporarily blocked the judge’s order.
Newsom originally included the Marines in the lawsuit, but the case has primarily focused on the Guard since.
In response to the Pentagon’s announcement pulling back the Marines, Newsom reiterated his call for the remaining Guard troops to be sent home as well.
“The women and men of the California National Guard deserve more than to continue serving as puppets in Trump and Stephen Miller’s performative political theater,” Newsom said in a statement. “There was never a need for the military to deploy against civilians in Los Angeles.”
Local authorities have disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of the city as a “war zone.”
The protests in Los Angeles have been largely limited to a few blocks downtown containing City Hall, federal buildings and an immigration detention facility. Demonstrations in the city and the region in recent weeks have been largely small impromptu protests around arrests.
In one of the most raucous days of protest, thousands of people took to the streets June 8 in response to Trump’s deployment of the Guard, blocking off a major freeway as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Photos captured several Waymo robotaxis set on fire.
A day later, police officers used flash bangs and shot projectiles as they pushed protesters through Little Tokyo, where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way.
Bass set a curfew in place for about a week that she said had successfully protected businesses and helped restore order.
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