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More troops prepare to mobilize as protests show no sign of slowing

Law enforcement officers respond to people protesting against the detention of migrants by federal law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles, June 11, 2025. From small daytime gatherings to marches with thousands of people, protests condemning immigration enforcement operations have spread steadily across the United States.  (Philip Cheung/The New York Times)
By Karen Weise, Richard Fausset, Yan Zhuang, Jesus Jiménez, Charlie Savage and Patricia Mazzei New York Times

Authorities across the country geared up for more demonstrations Thursday and later this week, as troops prepared to mobilize in several states and spreading protests showed no sign of slowing.

A day after officers on foot and on horseback fired flash bangs and foam bullets to disperse a large protest in downtown Los Angeles, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said that he had ordered more than 5,000 National Guard troops to be “strategically positioned” to assist law enforcement in his state.

On Thursday afternoon, a federal judge in California will hear the state’s request to limit the National Guard and Marines deployed by President Donald Trump in Los Angeles to protecting federal buildings. National Guard troops have accompanied federal agents on immigration enforcement raids since Trump deployed them last week against state officials’ advice. The Justice Department argues that California’s move is an attempt to restrict the president’s power.

At the White House, Trump said the troops’ presence was having an effect, and took credit by falsely stating that “nobody showed up” to protest Wednesday in Los Angeles. “You know why they didn’t show up?” he asked. “Because we were there.”

As the challenge to his order plays out, the administration is proceeding with plans to put more troops on the streets of Los Angeles. On Wednesday, Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department said on CNN’s “The Source” that the situation did not warrant deploying the troops.

Demonstrations against immigration raids were planned in several cities Thursday, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin. Hundreds of people have been arrested across the country since the protests began in Los Angeles last week. Across the country, officials are bracing for even more protests this weekend, many of them scheduled weeks ago to coincide with a military parade in Washington that is taking place on Trump’s 79th birthday.

The Justice Department warned the 93 U.S. attorney offices around the country, as well as the entire criminal division of the department, to be prepared to handle requests to file criminal charges, or conduct searches, related to the demonstrations set for this weekend.

Here’s what else to know:

— Troops: The U.S. military’s Northern Command said that by Friday evening, roughly 700 Marines are expected to join 2,100 National Guard troops that have been guarding federal property and personnel in Los Angeles. The commander overseeing the military operations told reporters Wednesday that the Marines were at a naval base south of the city, and that 2,000 additional Guard troops would begin training Thursday afternoon.

— Workplace raids: The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is hitting many California farms that depend on migrant farmworkers. Federal agents have also raided at least five carwashes across Los Angeles and Orange counties since Sunday, according to a nonprofit organization that supports carwash workers’ rights.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.