US Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents.
US president Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on US. soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago.
Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city’s downtown area.
The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday.
“If I didn’t act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now,” said Trump at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary and illegal deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian.
Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice.
“President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The US military said on Wednesday that a battalion of 700 Marines had concluded training specific to the L.A. mission, including de-escalation and crowd control. They would join National Guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10 within 48 hours, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said.
“Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties,” the Northern Command said.
The separtment of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: “If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest.”
Scott Sherman, who commands the task force of Marines and Guardsmen, told reporters the Marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds.
In downtown L.A., shortly before the second night of a curfew over a one square mile (2.5 square km) area, relative calm was broken.
Police said demonstrators at one location threw commercial grade fireworks and rocks at officers. Another group of nearly 1,000 demonstrators were peacefully marching through downtown when police suddenly opened fired with less lethal munitions in front of City Hall.
Marlene Lopez, 39, a Los Angeles native, was demonstrating as flash bangs exploded just a few meters away.
“I am out here because of the fact that our human rights are being violated every day. If we give up, it’s over. We have to stand our ground here in L.A. so that the nation will follow us,” Lopez said.
Other protests have also taken place in Santa Ana, a largely Mexican-American city about 30 miles (50 km) to the south, as well as major cities such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Washington and San Antonio, Texas.
