Questions remained over the role that Marines and National Guard troops would play after being called in by President Donald Trump amid protests over immigration raids in the area.
The 700 Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area, but they hadn't been called to respond to the protests as of Tuesday afternoon and were only there to protect federal officials and property, the Marine Corps commandant said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who objected to Trump's deployment of troops, including roughly 4,000 National Guard members, filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to block them from being used to assist with immigration raids. The governor’s request said it was in response to a change in orders that had been issued for the Guard.
It appears to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor. Trump said in a social media post that the city would have been "completely obliterated" if he hadn't sent Guard members to the city over the weekend.
Here are some things to know about the lawsuit, the protests and the troop deployments:
LA mayor blasts Trump
Mayor Karen Bass pinned the unrest at some of the LA protests squarely on the Trump administration, saying Tuesday that there was “nothing going on here that warranted the federal intervention.”
She also said she was mystified about why the Marines were sent.
“People have asked me what are the Marines going to do when they get here? That’s a good question. I have no idea,” she said at a news conference.
She also called out Trump for suggesting the National Guard, not local police, quelled the violence that did happen, noting that Trump made the claim in a Saturday night tweet but that the first Guard troops didn't arrive until Sunday.
“If you want to know what the National Guard is doing, drive by the federal building. They are stationary at the federal building protecting the building," she said. "They are not out doing crowd control or anything like that. So I don’t know how he could say that the National Guard is who saved the day. Who saved the day was our local law enforcement agencies.”
Bass also suggested that the $134 million that the Pentagon said it was costing to deploy troops to LA would have better used to help the city prepare for next summer's World Cup.
Newsom versus Trump
In a public address Tuesday evening, Newsom called Trump's actions the start of an “assault” on democracy.
“California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next,” he said.
The governor filed an emergency request earlier in the day seeking to block the Trump administration from using the Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids.
Photos posted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests.
ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations, as Trump has promised as part of the immigration crackdown.
Trump and Newsom have been feuding over the immigration raids and protests, with the president and his border czar, Tom Homan, trading taunts with the governor about the possibility of arresting Newsom if he interfered with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump said.
In a post Monday, Newsom called the deployment of Marines “a blatant abuse of power."
What’s the mood in the city?
Downtown Los Angeles was fairly quiet Tuesday morning, with Guard members outnumbering protesters. Several Guard members were stationed in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup where some immigrants are being held, with long guns and wooden bats slung over their shoulders.
Otherwise, there were few signs of the tumult that gripped the city in recent nights, aside from the graffiti scrawled across several buildings — “Abolish ICE,” “Amerikkka,” and obscene slogans directed at Trump and federal law enforcement.
A few dozen protesters gathered peacefully around noon in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police made several arrests. Demonstrators at one point blocked a highway, and some were arrested.
The mayor declared a curfew from 8 p.m. until to 6 a.m. Wednesday in a 1-square-mile (2.6-square-kilometer) section of downtown, with exceptions for residents, homeless people, credentialed journalists and public safety and emergency officials,
Monday's demonstrations were less raucous than Sunday's, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall to denounce Friday's arrest of union leader David Huerta, who was protesting the immigration raids, and hundreds rallying outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center.
What’s behind the demonstrations?
The protests have been driven by anger over Trump's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are tearing apart migrant families. They started Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to neighboring Compton and the city of Paramount.
Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA’s fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid.
Demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles by hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.
The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many have also been arrested while protesting.
What's happening elsewhere?
Protest over immigration raids have happening in major cities throughout the country, including on Tuesday, though none have reached the scale of those in Los Angeles.
The demonstrations from Boston to Seattle have ranged from gatherings outside of federal office buildings or statehouses, and marches through downtown neighborhoods.
Hundreds of protesters organized by the Austin, Texas, chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation gathered Monday near the state Capitol before moving toward the federal building that houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Authorities appeared to use chemical irritants to disperse a crowd, and the city's police chief said Tuesday that four officers were injured during the protests, including three who were struck by thrown rocks.
In Dallas, hundreds of people demonstrated on a city bridge for hours before police determined the rally to be “unlawful.” Police said one person was arrested and that charges were pending.
In Omaha, Nebraska, immigration authorities raided at least one meat processing plant Tuesday, triggering small protests. It wasn't clear how many workers might have been detained.
“No Kings” rallies critical of Trump are planned nationwide Saturday to coincide with the president's scheduled military parade in Washington.
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Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston, Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Jason Dearen and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia, Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed.
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