Marines with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, attached to Task Force 51, rehearse non-lethal tactics in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater L.A. area. (Jaye Townsend/U.S. Marine Corps)
Two hundred Marines will guard federal buildings in the Los Angeles area, freeing up more National Guard soldiers to back up federal agents arresting undocumented immigrants, the commander of military troops sent to the city said Friday.
Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51, the military mission in L.A., said the Marines have completed training on how to act during a civil disturbance and will move into position Friday to take an active role in the operation.
“Starting today, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines will focus on the protection of federal property and personnel and the functions,” he said.
California National Guard troops have supported 26 raids and other federal immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area since June 7, providing security for the federal officers making the arrests, Sherman said.
President Donald Trump has federalized more than 4,000 thousand National Guard troops since June 7 under Title 10 of the U.S. Code. The code empowers the president to deploy National Guard troops to protect federal agents, workers and property. The soldiers are not allowed to take part in proactive law enforcement efforts such as arresting demonstrators or undocumented people.
“The soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities,” Sherman said. “Rather, they’ll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel.”
No military personnel have been injured in confrontations with demonstrators or other activity related to Task Force 51, he said.
The troops have been assigned to security of federal buildings, including office towers and the main detention center being used for those arrested by federal agents in a series of sweeps in the past two weeks to catch people without legal documentation to be in the United States.
Trump also mobilized 700 Marines for security roles in the city. The other 500 Marines deployed to L.A. are training to be used in similar roles as the 200 now providing security, according to Task Force 51 officials.
The Marines moved into L.A. a week after demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided several locations in Southern California to detain undocumented migrants for deportation.
The White House said Thursday that more than 350 undocumented people have been arrested by federal agents in immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area since June 7. More than 350 protesters have been arrested in demonstrations, according to the Los Angeles police.
As of Friday, the California National Guard troops remain under the control of President Donald Trump after a district judge ruled late Thursday that Trump had exceeded his authority by federalizing the Guard troops. He ordered Trump to relinquish control of the troops to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the federal judge’s order, leaving the troops under Trump’s control pending a hearing on the district court’s order.
The actions in Los Angeles come ahead of Saturday’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 250th birthday of the Army. The date is also Trump’s 79th birthday.
Demonstrations in cities across the country are planned to protest Trump’s policies and the military parade, which government agencies have said could cost up to $45 million. Trump has promised an unspecific “heavy” response against demonstrators who might seek to disrupt the parade.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered thousands of Texas National Guard to deploy to cities across the state and prepare for “lawless” demonstrations.
“Peaceful protest is legal,” he said. “Harming a person or property is illegal and will lead to arrest.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has declared a state of emergency and called out the National Guard to control demonstrations in the state.
Trump on June 7 ordered 2,000 soldiers of the National Guard’s 29th Combat Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in San Diego. The troops are part of the 40th Infantry Division, which has its headquarters at the Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, a city in northern Orange County adjacent to the border with Los Angeles County.
Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, were ordered to move 150 miles east from the service’s Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms to downtown Los Angeles. The division is headquartered at Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County.
An additional 2,000 Guard troops were later added to Task Force 51. They include troops from the 49th Military Police Brigade, headquartered in Fairfield, about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco in Solano County. The unit is also part of the 40th Infantry Division.
Sherman declined to comment Friday on how the troops were mobilized and transported and where they were sent before Los Angeles. He said the task force has locations throughout Los Angeles County for troops as they arrived for the assignment.
Task Force 51 is U.S. Northern Command’s Contingency Command Force. NORTHCOM is based at Fort Carson, Colo., near Colorado Springs. As part of Task Force 51, the Marines report to Sherman.
