Marines are now on duty in Los Angeles for the first time.
Tensions are escalating between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue to grip Los Angeles and spread to New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Texas, and other cities.
Trump deployed about 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to LA against Newsom's wishes.
A federal appeals court Thursday delayed an order requiring the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom, dealing the administration a temporary reprieve to what would have been a major reversal of its policy on the protests.
Eighty-one arrests were made in LA on Wednesday night: 71 for failure to disperse, seven for curfew violation, two for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for resisting a police officer, the LAPD said.
Nearly 500 people have been arrested in LA since Saturday, according to the LAPD.
Texas Gov. Greg. Abbott said he’s sending at least 5,000 National Guardsmen and at least 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to "maintain order" at protests.
"Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we've seen in LA," he wrote, warning, "Anyone who damages property or harms a person will be arrested."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers "it's not my lane" to say whether or not the Department of Defense would comply if a judge ordered a withdrawal of National Guard and Marines from LA.
"It's not your legal view that makes the decision in America. It's the federal judiciary," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. "If the federal court ... judge has an order [that] is a preliminary injunction, will you agree to abide by the federal courts?"
"What I will tell you is my job right now is to ensure the troops that we have in Los Angeles are capable of supporting law enforcement in there," Hegseth replied. "This is not my lane. But we also recognize that the way in which the judiciary has expanded its powers.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., a former Marine, ripped Hegseth over the Marine deployment in LA and Hegseth's refusal to say political allegiance should not be required for military service.
"You're not worthy of my attention or my questions. You're an embarrassment to this country. You're unfit to lead," Carbajal said. “And there's been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation. You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department.”
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia
President Donald Trump is taking credit for Los Angeles being "safe and sound" the last two nights, writing on Truth Social that the "great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job."
"They all worked well together, but without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years," Trump wrote. "Governor Gaven NewScum had totally lost control of the situation. He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his a--, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!"
Trump’s comments come after two nights of curfews in a part of downtown LA that has been the site of clashes between police and protesters over the last six days. The overnight curfew was issued by LA Mayor Karen Bass.
Trump’s post also credits "a little help from the Marines," however, the Marines deployed by Trump have not begun service in LA.
