Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the Pentagon is mobilizing the National Guard to respond to anti-ICE protests in California and warned that active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton may be deployed as well "if violence continues."
"The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK," Hegseth wrote on X.
The secretary said that under the Trump administration, violence and destruction against federal agents and federal facilities "will NOT be tolerated," adding: "It’s COMMON SENSE."
"The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles," he wrote. "And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert."
