Johnson Backs Hegseth’s Marine Deployment Threat to Quell Los Angeles Anti-ICE Riots

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s provocative suggestion to deploy U.S. Marines to curb anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, calling it a strategic move rather than an overreach. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Johnson argued that the threat of military intervention could serve as a deterrent to escalating violence, emphasizing the need to uphold federal law amid chaos.

President Donald Trump has already sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, citing the failure of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass to control rioting and looting targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Johnson praised Trump’s decisiveness, stating, “The president stepped in where state leadership faltered. That’s what real leadership looks like.”

Hegseth, in a fiery X post, announced the National Guard’s immediate mobilization and warned that Marines at Camp Pendleton were on high alert if violence persisted. He framed the riots as assaults on federal agents protecting national security against criminal illegal aliens and cartels. Newsom shot back, labeling the threat to deploy Marines “deranged,” while Hegseth countered that allowing lawlessness was the true madness.

The legal waters are murky. The Posse Comitatus Act generally bars federal troops from domestic law enforcement, though the Insurrection Act could provide a workaround in extreme unrest. Trump’s current memo federalizes the National Guard under a law allowing action during invasions or rebellions, but it’s unclear if he can bypass state governors like Newsom. This high-stakes standoff raises questions about federal power and local control, with Los Angeles as the flashpoint.