WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. military is set to temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles while additional National Guard troops arrive in the city, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday.
About 300 California National Guard troops were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, a step Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom called unlawful.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a battalion would be sent, but for now, the Insurrection Act is not expected to be invoked.
The number of National Guard troops is expected to rise to 2,000 by Wednesday and until then, the Marines are expected to provide support. It is unclear what exactly they will be doing.
The official added the situation was fluid and could change.
While the U.S. military cannot perform law enforcement activities inside the United States without invoking the Insurrection Act, the Pentagon often is called to respond to national crises, from the border mission to disaster relief to health emergencies. For example, during the pandemic, the U.S. military set up temporary hospitals.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Mark Porter and Rod Nickel)
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