President Donald Trump authorized on Monday the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to help respond to protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids, according to U.S. officials.
The order would put them on active duty. One official warned, however, that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move reckless and “disrespectful to our troops” in a post on the social platform X.
“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego,” Newsom said.
The Pentagon also deployed about 700 Marines to Los Angeles on Monday to help National Guard members respond to protests over immigration raids, officials said, as California sued Trump over his use of the Guard troops and demonstrators took to the city’s streets for a fourth day.
The Marines are being deployed from their base at Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command said in a statement.