Law enforcement preps for 'No Kings Day' protests; Marines stand guard outside LA federal building

With a court decision pending on the fate of National Guard troops deployed in the city, U.S. Marines on Friday were expected to begin protecting the federal building in Westwood amid continuing protests over ongoing immigration raids in the Southland.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 -- the contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines ordered to deploy to the city by President Donald Trump -- said 200 Marines will take their positions Friday afternoon protecting the federal building in Westwood. The move will free up National Guard troops -- who have been primarily protecting federal property over the past week of unrest -- to serving a more protective role for federal agents conduction enforcement operations in the field.

"I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities," Sherman told reporters during a morning briefing. "Rather, they'll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel."

Some 200 U.S. Marines are deploying to Westwood to protect the federal building amid protests over ongoing immigration raids.

Sherman said some National Guard troops have already been doing protective work for federal agents conducting immigration enforcement activities, but they have not engaged in any police-type work or made any arrests or detentions.

The arrival of the Marines comes one day after a federal judge in Northern California ordered Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump federalized 2,000 National Guard troops last weekend as nightly protests were held in downtown Los Angeles in response to raids being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump later added another 2,000 troops to the order.

Newsom and other local leaders vehemently objected to the troop deployment, arguing it was unnecessary and would heighten tensions and potentially lead to more violent protests.

In Thursday's ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco wrote that Trump's actions federalizing National Guard troops -- who are normally under the control of the governor -- did not follow congressionally mandated procedure.

"His actions were illegal -- both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the judge wrote. "He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith."

Hours later, Breyer's ruling was stayed by a three-judge appellate panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a Trump administration notice of appeal, temporarily keeping the National Guard troops under federal control pending another hearing on Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend, which is impacting some events in that area.

Some shows have been granted exemptions and will go on as planned Friday night.

But Saturday's performances of "Hamlet" at the Mark Taper Forum have been canceled.

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA will be closed for the remainder of the week with several performances canceled.

The late-night curfew in downtown Los Angeles has been extended and will take place each night through the weekend - which is impact some events in that area.

There's also a big soccer match set to take place at SoFi Stadium Saturday. The Concacaf says the tournament is set to go on as scheduled, but it is monitoring planned protests.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass says the curfews could last for several days.

The 9th U.S. Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.

The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter on June 17.

A federal appeals court delayed an order requiring the Trump administration to return control of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The ruling Thursday night came only hours after a federal judge's order was to take effect at noon Friday. That judge ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump's statutory authority. The order applied only to the National Guard troops and not Marines who were also deployed to the LA protests. The judge said he would not rule on the Marines because they are not out on the streets yet.

Read more here.

A federal judge in California has blocked President Donald Trump's move to deploy California National Guard troops during the widespread protests across the state.

The judge ruled that the Trump Administration is "to return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom."

Gov. Newsom stated on his X account:

"The court just confirmed what we all know - the military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets. This win is not just for California, but the nation. It's a check on a man whose authoritarian tendencies are increasing by the day. End the illegal militarization of Los Angeles now, @realDonaldTrump. History is watching."