Marines Step In to Protect LA Federal Property
Something you don't see every day: about 200 U.S. Marines, not usually known for domestic missions, showed up in Los Angeles on June 13, 2025. Their task isn’t about policing the streets or breaking up protests. Instead, these Marines are now stationed at the Wilshire Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, taking up guard duty to protect federal property and the people who work inside.
Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman stood before the media to set the record straight. The mission is all about federal property protection, not about law enforcement or crowd control beyond federal lines. Armed with their standard weapons and equipped with riot gear—shields, batons, and gas masks—the Marines kicked off their assignment at noon on June 14. Sherman underlined that they’re not making arrests or patrolling city streets. Their orders are to keep federal facilities and personnel secure, helping federal officers only if things get hairy during an arrest on federal turf.
The National Guard also remains in the area, deployed since June 9, doing its own version of hands-off security. So far, the approach seems to be working: not a single injury has been reported among either group since deployment began. Both sets of troops have been clear in limiting their role to defense—no crossing lines into local policing or direct law enforcement activity.
Spike in Detentions Raises the Stakes
What’s making all this necessary? The backdrop here is a massive spike in immigration enforcement and detentions. As of mid-June, immigration authorities reported a record-breaking 56,300 individuals held in ICE detention centers across the country. That’s not just a fluke increase—recent blitz operations by ICE saw 1,400 arrests on June 12, then 1,600 more the very next day. The total number of ICE arrests is now more than double what it was during President Trump’s first term, though they’re still falling short of the White House’s daily target of 3,000 detentions.
The sheer numbers have fueled anxiety about possible unrest near federal buildings, especially in high-profile cities like Los Angeles. It’s not hard to imagine why officials would want some extra muscle around places like the Wilshire Federal Building, which can turn into a flashpoint during immigration crackdowns.
But questions remain about what happens next. Only 200 of the expected 700 Marines have received assignments, focused directly on the Wilshire complex. The rest—about 500 Marines in total—are still waiting for orders. Their training, according to Sherman, is strictly geared toward defending federal assets and staff, not urban crowd control. There’s talk that their duties will extend to other federal sites in Los Angeles, but officials aren’t giving any details beyond that. For now, secrecy surrounds any further expansion of the mission.
The city’s residents, meanwhile, are trying to make sense of the unusual military presence. With the lines between security and law enforcement clearly drawn, officials hope to calm fears about martial law or troops stepping beyond their strict guard duties. But as long as immigration tensions—and the numbers—keep climbing, so will the attention on the Marines standing watch in Westwood.
