#Trump Deploys #Marines to a “Manufactured Crisis,” Defense Official Says

A defense official told The Intercept that Trump’s move to use Marines to stifle anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles is a “provocation.”

By Nick Turse, June 9, 2024

"Marines are headed to Los Angeles as the Trump administration ratchets up tensions that threaten to turn largely peaceful protests there into a full-blown crisis. It’s a rare and aggressive step to involve active-duty troops in civilian law enforcement activities.

"A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, called the activation of the Marines a 'provocation' designed to foster to a '#ManufacturedCrisis.'

"Experts question the legality of the mobilization of the Marines.

"On Saturday, President Donald Trump took the already extraordinary action of calling up more than 2,000 National Guard troops to tamp down demonstrations in California. In doing so, he exercised rarely used federal powers that bypassed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authority.

"He followed it up two days later with an even more extreme move. While it is unclear under what authority Trump and the Defense Department did so, U.S. Northern Command activated 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, assigned to Twentynine Palms, California. They are being shipped out to support Task Force 51 — a deployable command post used in crisis response — 'who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,' according to a statement issued by NORTHCOM.

" 'The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented — mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,' Newsom’s office said in a statement.

" 'Military presence is not needed. The state is already working with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump’s mess,' Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, told The Intercept by email.

"Experts say that the introduction of the Marines further strains civil-military relations and risks violation of the #PosseComitatus Act: a bedrock 19th-century law seen as fundamental to the democratic tradition in America. The Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement."

Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2025/06/09/la-ice-protests-national-guard-marines-trump/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/7MvyX

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#TrumpSucks #HegsethSucks