A battalion of 700 US Marines is being deployed to Los Angeles to support a National Guard deployment of up to 4 000 troops to protect federal property amid immigration-related protests that have at times turned violent.

President Donald Trump authorised an additional 2 000 troops, doubling the deployment. It’s unclear exactly what role the Marines would play on the ground.

In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom says Marines should not be deployed on American soil, facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.

Newsom, a Democrat, called the federal deployment of Marines in his state “un-American” after California sued the Trump administration, claiming the President illegally federalised the National Guard and trampled on California’s sovereignty.

Newsom has called for the deployment order to be rescinded.

This was also the first time the National Guard was deployed without the request or consent of a State’s Governor, leading to a fierce standoff.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN she was concerned that more federal immigration raids would spark pandemonium as protestors were prepared to respond.

Trump called Newsom incompetent while the Governor warned of moves towards authoritarianism.