The US military will temporarily deploy about 700 marines to Los Angeles until additional National Guard forces arrive, a US administration official said, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
About 300 California National Guard troops were sent to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests against President Donald Trump's actions against immigrants, a move that Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom called illegal.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a battalion would be sent, but for now the presence of the marines would not be under the Insurrection Act, which is not expected to be activated.
The National Guard is expected to reach 2,000 troops by Wednesday, with the Marines expected to provide support until then. It is unclear exactly what they will do, Reuters noted.
The official added that the situation is fluid. While the US military cannot carry out law enforcement actions on US soil without invoking the Insurrection Act, the Pentagon is often called upon to respond to national crises, from border missions to disaster relief or health emergencies. For example, during the COVID pandemic, the US military set up makeshift hospitals.
A Chinese female scientist was arrested upon arrival in the United States at Detroit airport, the second case in as many days related to alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The Chinese woman is accused of sending biological material to employees of a laboratory at the University of Michigan months ago. In a court filing, the FBI described it as material related to certain worms and requiring government authorization.
"Guidelines for importing biological materials into the United States for research purposes are strict but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scientists," said John Novak, who heads field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Chinese woman was questioned and arrested on Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing a degree at a university in Wuhan. She had planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan.
Her shipments, which included an envelope tucked inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said.
The court filing did not say whether the FBI believed the biological material was dangerous, although prosecutor Jerome Gorgan Jr. said the smuggling "threatens our security."
Last week, the government charged two Chinese scientists with conspiring to smuggle a toxic mushroom into the United States, the AP recalled.