The Marines are deployed instead of the National Guard in Los Angeles amid escalating protests.

Elements of the U.S. Marine Corps (Marines) began appearing in various parts of Los Angeles yesterday, Friday, June 13th, where they were assigned to guard a prominent federal building following protests that erupted last week over immigration-related raids. The deployment of Marines came following orders issued by U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Major General Scott Sherman, commander of "Task Force 51," overseeing 4,700 deployed soldiers, the Marines completed their training on handling civil unrest and began their operations after replacing National Guard soldiers in guard duties. This strategy aims to allocate National Guard soldiers to focus on protecting law enforcement during security raids. The number of Marines currently deployed at protest sites ranges between 200 and 700 soldiers. Two Marines were spotted at the entrance of the 17-story federal building "Wilshire," housing important federal offices such as the Veterans Affairs office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The soldiers were in combat uniforms carrying rifles, alongside National Guard members checking IDs at parking lot entrances. Marines and National Guard soldiers were also seen carrying boxes on a military transport truck, confirming the continuation of military and security operations in the city. This development follows a decision by the Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals Court to temporarily freeze a federal judge's order to return control of the National Guard forces to California, after the judge previously deemed the National Guard deployment illegal, as it "violated the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and exceeded the legal authorities granted to the president." This move reflects escalating security tensions in Los Angeles amid immigration policy protests and illustrates the U.S. administration's efforts to enhance domestic security by deploying Marines to support National Guard missions and law enforcement.