US Vice President JD Vance said Friday that the thousands of troops deployed to Los Angeles this month were still needed despite a week of relative calm in the protest-hit city.
President Donald Trump has sent roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, purportedly to protect federal property and personnel, after demonstrations over immigration raids.
"Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried that it's going to flare back up," Vance told reporters in Los Angeles.
He was speaking the day after an appeals court ruled that Trump could continue to control the California National Guard, which would normally fall under Governor Gavin Newsom's authority.
California officials have heavily criticized Trump over his use of the military, saying it escalated protests that local law enforcement could have handled.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful and mostly contained to a small part of Los Angeles, the second-largest US city, though there were instances of violence and vandalism.
"If you let violent rioters burn Great American Cities to the ground, then, of course, we're going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect," Vance said.
He added that Trump would deploy soldiers again if needed.
"We don't want to send these great Marines to cities like Los Angeles. We only do it if we have to protect federal property and to protect the lives of our great law enforcement," he said.
The Republican further accused Newsom -- a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 -- and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging protesters.
Both have condemned rioting and violence towards law enforcement, while accusing the Trump administration of manufacturing a crisis in the city.
"You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law, and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor making it harder for them to do their job," Vance said.
"That is disgraceful, and it is why the president has responded so forcefully."
Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country.
Outrage at the use of masked, armed immigration agents has also sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas.
