President Donald Trump is defending his decision to send another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to Los Angeles, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don’t want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests.
Additional protests against immigration raids are expected to continue in other cities Tuesday. —(AP)
What to know:
Pentagon reveals cost: After persistent questioning from members of Congress on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million to send the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. She said the money will come from operations and maintenance accounts.
California pushes back: California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit Monday over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters that Trump had “trampled” the state’s sovereignty.
Monday’s protests: Compared to Sunday’s demonstrations, Monday’s were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city.
Here are the latest developments…
Trump suggests he’s open to invoking Insurrection Act to quell protest in LA
By AAMER MADHANI
The president during his Oval Office engagement with reporters left open the possibility of invoking one the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president.
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” Trump said. “But I can tell you last night was terrible, and the night before that was terrible.”
The Insurrection Act authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.
It is often referred to as the “Insurrection Act of 1807,” but the law is actually an amalgamation of different statutes enacted by Congress between 1792 and 1871.
California Republican Congressman denounces ‘violence and vandalism’ while expressing concern about ICE raids
By MATT BROWN
Rep. David Valadao, a moderate Republican who represents much of the state’s San Joaquin Valley, urged for peaceful protest and said he was also concerned over how the Trump administration is conducting ICE raids in the Golden state.
“I support the First Amendment right to peacefully protest, but the violence and vandalism happening in Los Angeles is unacceptable and I stand with our law enforcement officers working to protect people and regain control over the situation,” Valadao wrote on social media.
“I remain concerned about ongoing ICE operations throughout CA and will continue my conversations with the administration—urging them to prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the Valley for years,” he added.
Peaceful protests outside Seattle’s immigration court
By MARTHA BELLISLE
About 50 people gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting with drums and holding up signs that said “Free Them All Abolish ICE” and “No to Deportations.”
Legal advocates who normally attend the immigration court hearings as observers and to provide support to immigrants were not allowed inside the building. Security guards also turned away the media.
The hearings are normally open to the public. Organizers said they were there solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles.
The protest was peaceful and there were no law-enforcement officers in the area in the morning.
Protests over federal immigration raids have sprung up in cities across the US
By JIM VERTUNO
Although most have been peaceful with marchers chanting and carrying signs, some have resulted in dozens of arrests.
The demonstrations have ranged from gatherings outside of federal office buildings or state capitol buildings, and marches through the downtown of several major cities. A series of so-called “No Kings” rallies were planned Saturday to coincide with President Trump’s scheduled military parade in Washington, DC.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media on Tuesday that the agency would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests.
“ICE will continue to enforce the law,” Noem posted on X.
Armoured vehicles block roads in Santa Ana
By AMY TAXIN
In Santa Ana, California, armoured vehicles blocked the road Tuesday morning leading into the Civic Center, where federal immigration officers and numerous city and county agencies have their offices.
Workers swept up plastic bottles and broken glass. Tiny shards of red, black and purple glass littered the pavement.
Nearby buildings and the sidewalk were tagged with graffiti containing obscenities and Trump’s name crossed out. A worker rolled paint over graffiti on a wall to block it out. National Guard officers wearing fatigues and carrying rifles prevented people from entering the area unless they worked there.
Few signs of tumult in downtown Los Angeles
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ
A handful of National Guard members are stationed in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center, long guns and wood sticks slung over their shoulders. Occasionally, a passing driver will honk at or heckle them, drawing no response.
News crews are stationed on the opposite side of the street, awaiting the possible arrival of the U.S. Marines. Otherwise, there are few signs of the tumult that has 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.
At the Walt Disney Concert Hall, workers were busy washing away the graffiti on Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles deployment to cost at least $134 million and last 60 days, Pentagon says
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, TARA COPP
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath,File)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath,File)
The deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles will cost at least $134 million and last at least the next 60 days, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a senior defense official told lawmakers Tuesday.
“We stated very publicly that it’s 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we’re not going anywhere,” Hegseth told members of the House appropriations defense subcommittee.
After persistent questioning from members of Congress, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who provided the total and said this “is largely just the cost of travel, housing and food.”
She said the money will come from operations and maintenance accounts.