Marines prepare for Los Angeles deployment as protests spread across US

LOS ANGELES, Jun 12: California will face off with Washington in court on Thursday over President Donald Trump's deployment of U.S. troops in Los Angeles after demonstrators again took to the streets in major cities to protest Trump's immigration crackdown.

Some 700 U.S. Marines will be on the streets of Los Angeles by Thursday or Friday, the military said, to support up to 4,000 National Guard troops in protecting federal property and federal agents, including on immigration raids.

Trump's decision to dispatch troops to Los Angeles over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and further polarized the country.
Street protests have broken out in multiple cities besides Los Angeles including New York, Chicago, Washington and San Antonio, Texas.

A federal judge in San Francisco will hear arguments Thursday as part of California's lawsuit against Trump. The state is requesting a temporary restraining order to block the troops' participation in law enforcement activities.

California ultimately wants a court ruling that returns its National Guard to the state's control and declares that Trump's action was illegal.

The L.A. protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday.

Meanwhile, protests against Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies spread Wednesday across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and threats by the hard-right Republican president to use "heavy force."

In Los Angeles, where the unrest began last Friday, an overnight curfew intended to keep people out of the downtown area was largely effective, with police arresting around 25 people who had refused to leave.

Officers patrolled near government buildings, and storekeepers boarded up windows to protect against vandalism.
But the area was quiet Wednesday.

"I would say for the most part everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero," protester Lynn Sturgis, 66, a retired school teacher, told AFP.

"Our city is not at all on fire, it's not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you."

Around 1,000 troops from the 4,700 that Trump ordered to the city were actively guarding facilities and working alongside ICE agents, said Scott Sherman, Deputy Commanding General Army North, who is leading operations.

The rest -- including 700 active duty Marines -- were mustering, or undergoing training in dealing with civil disturbances, he said. �"REUTERS, AFP