An injured protester in Los Angeles on Monday. (Ethan Swope photo

L.A. immigration protests latest: About 700 Marines will deploy to the city in the coming hours, while California sues Trump admin. over National Guard deployment

President Trump says he would support arresting Gov. Newsom over any possible obstructions to federal immigration agent actions.

Kate Murphy
June 9, 2025

A protester throws a scooter at a police vehicle near the metropolitan detention center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (Jae C. Hong photo

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About 700 U.S. marines are reportedly being deployed to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests there, according to multiple news organizations citing unnamed officials. CNN was the first to report on the mobilization of marines, followed by other outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters and the New York Times.

It comes as California announces it is suing the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the consent of the state's governor amid immigration raid protests that escalated over the weekend, leading to dozens of arrests.

California's lawsuit was filed Monday by state Attorney General Rob Bonta and accuses President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of "unlawfully" federalizing the state's National Guard, and infringing on California Gov. Gavin Newsom's authority as commander-in-chief of the state's military reserve force.

"Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach," Bonta said. "It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand.”

Bonta also alleged in a televised statement Monday that protests escalated after National Guard troops arrived on Sunday. “We’ll never know what might have been had the president left our state and local authorities to continue the important work they were already doing and were more than capable of doing,” Bonta said.

Before the lawsuit was announced, Trump on Monday said he would support his border czar arresting Newsom over possible obstructions to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the state amid protests.

Why are protests happening in the first place?

At least 44 people were arrested by federal ICE agents during a raid at several locations around Los Angeles on Friday, including Ambiance Apparel in the garment district and a Home Depot in the Westlake District. These areas are known to have significant migrant populations and labor-focused industries.

Protests then erupted in Los Angeles in response to Trump’s immigration crackdown that has seen federal agents arrest a student on his way to volleyball practice and erroneously deport a man to El Salvador.

Two Waymo taxis are engulfed in flames. (Jae C. Hong photo

Where have protests been happening?

Sunday marked the third straight day of protests over the wave of immigration raids.

Crowds gathered in downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights.

Protesters marched from Boyle Heights to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal building in downtown L.A. This led to the LAPD declaring the area an unlawful assembly.

Protesters moved from outside the federal building and walked onto the 101 Freeway around 3:30 p.m. local time. Police fired tear gas and other projectiles into the crowd and cleared the area by 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, another protest started on Sunday outside of Los Angeles City Hall

Protesters outside the city’s prison in the Alameda neighborhood of L.A. were arrested, according to the LAPD.

A protester against the ICE raids in L.A. (Eric Thayer photo

Trump sent National Guard troops to California without governor’s consent

Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles County on Sunday after Trump deployed them to protect federal property and personnel, without the consent of Newsom, a Democrat with whom he often spars. As governor, Newsom would normally retain control and command over the California National Guard.

The White House said the deployment was necessary to “address the lawlessness” in the state, and initially stated that 2,000 troops were being deployed.

It’s the first time in nearly 60 years that a president has called in the National Guard without a state’s request or consent. The last time was when President Lyndon Johnson sent the Guard to protect a 1965 civil rights march in Alabama.