WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defended the deployments of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they would safeguard officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose roundups of alleged immigration offenders have triggered days of clashes.

“We believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations, and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties,” Hegseth told a hearing in Congress.

“Because we ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country.”

Hundreds of Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders.

Democrat Lawmakers Seek Answers From Hegseth

Democratic lawmakers on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Pentagon spending sought answers from Hegseth about the cost of the deployments, and raised concerns about sending active-duty U.S. troops to a mission that they said would be better performed by law enforcement officers.

“This is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in. Their service should be honored. It should not be exploited,” said Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota.

McCollum said the Los Angeles protests did not mirror the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, which was the last time that the Insurrection Act was invoked in order to allow the U.S. military to directly participate in civilian law enforcement.

Then-President George H.W. Bush deployed U.S. forces to Los Angeles after California’s governor requested military aid to suppress unrest following the trial of Los Angeles police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.

However, Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, and the U.S. military has said the Marines would only be deployed to “support the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.”

The U.S. military has a long history of deployments within the United States. National Guard and active-duty troops are deployed for natural disasters and other events, including helping set up temporary hospitals during the pandemic. During the 2020 wave of nationwide protests over racial injustice, more than 17,000 National Guard troops were activated by 23 states.

What is rare, however, is sending active-duty troops during times of civil disturbance.

U.S. Marines are trained for conflicts around the world – from the Middle East to Africa – and are also used for rapid deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to U.S. embassies.

In addition to combat training, which includes weapons training, some units learn riot and crowd-control techniques.

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(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Rod Nickel)