Pentagon Confirms $134M Cost for Marines, National Guard Deployment to Los Angeles Protests

The Pentagon has announced that deploying around 700 Marines and over 4,100 National Guard members to Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids will cost an estimated $134 million over 60 days, funded from the Defense Department’s operations and maintenance budget. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the deployment as necessary to support federal agents and maintain law and order, with President Trump indicating he may invoke the Insurrection Act if he deems the situation an insurrection. However, the deployment and its cost have drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who also expressed broader concerns about the Trump administration’s defense spending and management. The 700 Marines deployed received more than two hours of crowd control training, which some lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, questioned as insufficient compared to the hundreds of hours police officers typically receive. Despite concerns, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith expressed confidence in his troops' ability to support law enforcement without arrest authority, emphasizing their use of non-lethal means. The deployment marks a significant federal response to civil unrest and raises legal and political questions about the military's role in domestic law enforcement.