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Explainer-What are US troops doing in Los Angeles?
Explainer-What are US troops doing in Los Angeles?

Straits Times

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Straits Times

Explainer-What are US troops doing in Los Angeles?

FILE PHOTO: California National Guard troops stand guard as people attend a rally against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 9, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder/File Photo Explainer-What are US troops doing in Los Angeles? WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has said it is going to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal property and personnel during the ongoing protests in the city. Here is everything we know about the U.S. troops that are being deployed to Los Angeles: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TROOPS SENT TO LA? National guard troops usually belong to individual states and personnel in many cases are trained to help with emergencies that those states have to deal with, such as natural disasters. Since they are the reserve force of the U.S. military, National Guard troops are usually part time, meaning that they have other jobs as well. U.S. Marines on the other hand are active duty troops - it is a full time job. Marines are trained for conflicts around the world - from the Middle East to Africa - and are used for rapid global deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to U.S. embassies. All those troops will come under a task force, known as Task Force 51. HOW CAN TROOPS LEGALLY BE DEPLOYED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES? Trump cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, a federal law that outlines the role of the U.S. Armed Forces, in his June 7 order to call members of the California National Guard into federal service. A provision of Title 10 - Section 12406- allows the president to deploy National Guard units into federal service if the U.S. is invaded, there is a "rebellion or danger of rebellion" or the president is "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." The president also has the authority to deploy active duty troops, like the Marines, within the United States in limited cases. WHERE ARE THE TROOPS COMING FROM? Many of the 4,000 National Guard troops are coming from the California National Guard. So far, 2,100 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a unit of the California National Guard, are on the ground. The Marines being deployed are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. They are based out of Twentynine Palms, close to Los Angeles. WHAT CAN TROOPS DO AND WHAT CAN THEY NOT DO? Both National Guard troops and Marines will be carrying out the same tasks, according to U.S. Army Major General Scott Sherman, who is commanding the troops. They are tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel. This means that they will accompany ICE agents on raids, officials have said. The troops are authorized to detain people who pose a threat to federal personnel or property, but only until police can arrest them. Military officials are not allowed to carry out arrests themselves. The Posse Comitatus Act, generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement. Trump could take a more far-reaching step by invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement. WHAT TRAINING WILL THE TROOPS RECEIVE? Troops receive varying levels of training in dealing with riots and crowd control. Since National Guard troops are used domestically in many cases, they receive extensive training when it comes to crowd control and civil unrest. While Marines may receive a basic level of crowd control training, it is not their expertise in domestic situations. The 700 Marines will receive two days of training focused on civil disturbance, crowd control and protection of facilities, before they are deployed to the streets of Los Angeles. The Marines will also have added "legal and law enforcement expertise," the military said. WHAT WILL TROOPS BE ARMED WITH? National Guard troops have been seen carrying shields, batons and rifles, along with regular protective equipment. The Marines will also be armed with riot shields and batons, and Sherman said they will not have ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry it. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Trump wants to ‘liberate' Los Angeles, residents say ‘no thanks'
Trump wants to ‘liberate' Los Angeles, residents say ‘no thanks'

GMA Network

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • GMA Network

Trump wants to ‘liberate' Los Angeles, residents say ‘no thanks'

Demonstrators face members of security forces near the Edward R. Roybal Federal building after days of protests against federal immigration sweeps and the deployment of the California National Guard and US Marines, in downtown Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/ David Ryder US President Donald Trump says he sent in the National Guard and Marines to "liberate" Los Angeles from the supposed violence of protesters, but some residents of Little Tokyo, a neighborhood hit hardest by the unrest, say "no thanks, Mr. President.' A dozen people who live, work or frequent the neighborhood, where Japanese is heard spoken as frequently as English in shops and restaurants, on Tuesday told Reuters that Trump's use of the military was inflaming the protests against recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. "The president sending in the National Guard and Marines has only made things worse, it's made the protesters go crazy," said Sulieti Havili, who lives nearby and helps run a Pokemon club with over 6,000 members that routinely plays in Little Tokyo. "They are doing nothing to protect this community." Havili, 25, who was out picking up trash in Little Tokyo with her Pokemon club partner Nolberto Aguilar, 42, said it was clear to her that Trump sending in thousands of military personnel had "brought out the worst in the protesters" and only served to aggravate the situation. Aguilar added that Trump's deployment of troops was thwarting the will of most Los Angeles citizens and local leaders, fanning the flames created by ICE immigration raids, that he said targeted law-abiding immigrants. The Trump administration says its immigration raids are rounding up de facto criminals for lacking proper documents to stay in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the use of military personnel to combat the protests had "inflamed a combustible situation" and warned that "democracy is under assault." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has said that Trump's use of troops was a deliberate effort to create "chaos." The Trump administration strongly rejects the accusations and says their actions were needed in the face of local and state leaders inability to get the situation under control. 'Instigating' action Little Tokyo, a charming neighborhood with shops selling Japanese goods and restaurants serving up some of the city's finest sushi, abuts the federal buildings where protesters have gathered for five nights in a row. For the past two nights, when police and National Guard troops have forcibly dispersed protesters in the early evening, demonstrators scatter into smaller groups into Little Tokyo, which has been covered with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti. Running skirmishes well into the night in the neighborhood has seen police use booming flash-bangs and firing other "less lethal" munitions at protesters. Several of those interviewed in Little Tokyo asked that they not be named, saying they feared reprisals—from the federal government. Many were immigrants themselves or had family members who were not born in the US, and feared making themselves or their loved ones targets of ICE. One of those was Anthony, who works at a tea shop in the neighborhood. "There is no question that the president sending in thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines has done nothing but make the protesters more aggressive," he said. "It's instigating the protesters and making things worse." Samantha Lopez, a descendant of Filipino immigrants who works at a Korean ice cream parlor in Little Tokyo, said she felt empathy for the demonstrators but rejected any acts of vandalism or violence they carry out. Still, she blamed the use of military personnel for creating the unrest. "It's just poor handling of protests that stay peaceful until they're confronted by officers," Lopez said. "It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighborhood." — Reuters

Pentagon defends troop deployments to Los Angeles to protect ICE agents
Pentagon defends troop deployments to Los Angeles to protect ICE agents

GMA Network

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • GMA Network

Pentagon defends troop deployments to Los Angeles to protect ICE agents

A drone view shows California National Guard personnel outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building following protests against federal immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/ David Ryder WASHINGTON — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defended the deployments of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they would safeguard officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose roundups of alleged immigration offenders have triggered days of clashes. "We believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations, and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties," Hegseth told a hearing in Congress. "Because we ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country." Hundreds of Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. Democratic lawmakers on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Pentagon spending sought answers from Hegseth about the cost of the deployments, and raised concerns about sending active-duty US troops to a mission that they said would be better performed by law enforcement officers. "This is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in. Their service should be honored. It should not be exploited," said Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota. McCollum said the Los Angeles protests did not mirror the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, which was the last time that the Insurrection Act was invoked in order to allow the US military to directly participate in civilian law enforcement. Then-President George H.W. Bush deployed US forces to Los Angeles after California's governor requested military aid to suppress unrest following the trial of Los Angeles police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King. However, Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, and the US military has said the Marines would only be deployed to "support the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area." The US military has a long history of deployments within the United States. National Guard and active-duty troops are deployed for natural disasters and other events, including helping set up temporary hospitals during the pandemic. During the 2020 wave of nationwide protests over racial injustice, more than 17,000 National Guard troops were activated by 23 states. What is rare, however, is sending active-duty troops during times of civil disturbance. US Marines are trained for conflicts around the world—from the Middle East to Africa—and are also used for rapid deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to US embassies. In addition to combat training, which includes weapons training, some units learn riot and crowd-control techniques. — Reuters

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