ICE protests spread and military presence grows in Los Angeles

As protests against U.S. immigration raids intensify nationwide, the spotlight remains on Los Angeles, where thousands of National Guard troops are already deployed and 700 Marines stand ready to join them.

(NBC)-As protests against U.S. immigration raids intensify nationwide, the spotlight remains on Los Angeles, where thousands of National Guard troops are already deployed and 700 Marines stand ready to join them. Overnight in Seattle, demonstrators clashed with police, resulting in several arrests. It’s just one example of the unrest spreading across the country as opponents of the federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants take to the streets. The epicenter is clearly Los Angeles, where the growing military presence is prompting concern — and criticism — from Capitol Hill.

“Our Marines are trained for combat in the Indo-Pacific, not for securing the streets of Los Angeles,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), questioning the president’s use of active-duty forces for a domestic operation.

President Trump defended the decision, arguing the protests would have spiraled further out of control without intervention.

“They didn’t have the police to handle it,” he said. “The police were asking us to come in.”

Local leaders, however, tell a different story. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused the president of using the situation to test the limits of federal power.

“Maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power,” Bass said.

The military deployment comes just ahead of another high-profile display of force in the nation’s capital: a parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary — scheduled for Saturday, which also marks President Trump’s 79th birthday. With a price tag of up to $45 million, the parade is drawing criticism even from within the president’s own party.

“I’ve never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) added, “I would save the money, but if the president moves to have a parade, he’s the president, and I’m not.”

The parade will feature over 60 tanks rolling down Constitution Avenue and more than 6,000 soldiers marching in formation — a rare and dramatic military display in the heart of Washington.