Star Metro - Marines deploy in LA ahead of mass anti-Trump protests

Men in fatigues and carrying semi-automatic rifles were seen around a federal building, where passers-by questioned why they were in an area 11 miles (18 kilometers) from the epicenter of protests against immigration raids.

"Taxpayer dollars could be used for other things," RonNell Weaver told AFP. "Is this really necessary?"

The men -- normally used as crack troops in foreign conflicts -- are part of a group of 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard soldiers tasked with protecting federal buildings, while local police handle protests over Trump's sweeps for undocumented migrants.

An intense legal battle is underway over Trump's authority to deploy troops on US soil as the country braces for widespread protests Saturday, when the Republican will be overseeing a rare large-scale military parade in Washington.

The parade celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Army but also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday and will be the first time tanks and other heavy weaponry have rolled through the capital city in three decades.

In response, a "No Kings" movement has sprung up promising to stage protests in more than 2,000 places across the country, including a large parade expected in Los Angeles which organizers say will feature a "20-foot-tall balloon of Trump wearing a diaper."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, whose deputies are part of a large law enforcement response in the enormous city, urged protesters to behave properly.

"We are here to facilitate peaceful protests," he told reporters. "It's a good cause, but we do not want violent agitators out there destroying property or committing acts of violence."

In a show of political force, Trump overrode the objections of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to deploy California's National Guard.

The president has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of violence, claiming that without troops, Los Angeles would be "burning to the ground right now."

On Thursday, District Judge Charles Breyer ruled Trump's actions were "illegal" and ordered that he return control of the guard to Newsom. Breyer said the LA unrest fell "far short" of the "rebellion" Trump had described.

However, a higher court quickly paused the order pending an appeal hearing with the Trump administration next Tuesday.

The Department of Justice slammed Breyer's ruling as "an extraordinary intrusion on the President's constitutional authority as Commander in Chief."

The dispute mirrors multiple other tussles over Trump's attempts to expand the limits of presidential power -- but is the first to involve troops.

- 'Voices for the people' -

Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country.

Outrage at Trump's raids and the use of masked, armed immigration agents backed by uniformed soldiers has already sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas.

"What brings me out here? The people that were taken, people who don't have voices. We are the voice for the people," Jasmine, a protester in Los Angeles, told AFP on Thursday.

Tensions hiked further Thursday when California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The incident "reeks of totalitarianism," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, calling for an investigation.

The White House hit back, claiming -- despite video evidence to the contrary -- that Padilla "lunged toward Secretary Noem."

F.Leblanc--SMC