Hegseth grilled over Trump’s LA troop deployment, estimated to cost US$134 million
The Pentagon chief defended the decision to send in the National Guard and the Marines amid protests over immigration raids
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against Democrats’ criticism of the decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles, telling Congress that the Trump administration wants to protect immigration agents and keep demonstrations there from getting out of control.
Asked by congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, how much the deployment would cost, Hegseth criticised Governor Tim Walz’s handling of protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis 2020.
US President Donald Trump recognises “a situation like that, improperly handled by a governor like it was by Governor Walz, if it gets out of control – it’s a bad situation for the citizens of any location”, Hegseth said.
He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement “has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country, especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration”.
Hegseth’s comments during the hearing, which at times turned combative, echoed Trump’s remarks on Monday in which he said he “watched Minneapolis burn”. Officials also gave more detail on the scope of the deployment and the role the Marines will play.
Hegesth said the deployment would last 60 days, as detailed in a presidential memorandum over the weekend.
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Trump orders 700 Marines and 2,000 more National Guard troops to quell Los Angeles unrest