Did President Trump send the U.S. military to Los Angeles earlier this week to safeguard the city from protesters? Or is this the start of something bigger — an unprecedented push by the president to carry out mass deportations with the help of armed troops?

A military official said the Marines would be on the city’s streets on Wednesday. A federal judge was set to hear California’s request to limit the use of the soldiers.

The Trump administration called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives” in its official response,