Latest news with #MarcosLeao
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marines detain U.S. citizen entering LA federal building amid protests
June 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines deployed to Los Angeles to help temper unrest in that city, stopped and detained an American citizen trying to enter a federal building. The man was trying to enter a Veterans Affairs office inside the Wilshire Federal Building in the city's Sawtelle neighborhood when he was stopped earlier this week by Marines sent to protect the property amid protests over immigration raids. This marks the first time during the current unrest that military troops have detained a U.S citizen. The 27-year-old U.S. Army veteran was released after a short time. "They treated me very fairly," Marcos Leao told the New York Times following the incident, adding headphones at first prohibited him from hearing the Marines giving him verbal commands to stop. U.S. Northern Command confirmed to The Hill, the Marines "temporarily detained a civilian earlier today" under Title 10 of the United States Code governing detention by the armed forces. Around 200 Marines moved into Los Angeles on Friday, joining thousands of California National Guard troops to help protect federal assets and agents sent to the city to carry out arrests on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. President Donald Trump sent around 700 Marines to the area Monday, but they have thus far been staged outside the city. Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., has opposed the move. On Friday, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., sent a written letter to Trump, signed by all U.S. Senate Democrats demanding the president remove military troops from Los Angeles. A U.S. District Court Judge in San Francisco on Thursday ruled the president's National Guard troop deployment was illegal. An appeals court later reversed that decision. Los Angeles officials on Tuesday instituted a local curfew in parts of the city, following over 100 arrests that day amid protesters clashing with police. On Saturday, millions of people are expected to take part in at least 1,500 protests across the United States. The "No Kings" demonstrations are scheduled to coincide with a major Flag Day military parade in Washington, D.C. and Trump's 70th birthday. The movement describes itself as "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy."
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
First known civilian detained by Marines in LA recounts incident
U.S. Marines deployed to Los Angeles made their first detention of a civilian on Friday (June 13), the military said, part of a rare domestic use of its forces sent to the city after days of protests over immigration raids. The detained man, Marcos Leao, 27, an immigrant and a U.S. Army veteran, said he was told to get on the ground after venturing into a restricted area, as he crossed a line of yellow tape to avoid walking around the building.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's L.A. Marines Zip-Tie Veteran in First Ever Detention
Having been deployed to Los Angeles by President Donald Trump in order to quell protests against ICE, U.S. Marines detained their first civilian on Friday: an Army veteran on his way to the Department of Veterans Affairs. After being shown images of the detention, the military confirmed to Reuters that Marines did detain the civilian, one Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old of Angolan and Portuguese descent, who obtained U.S. citizenship through military service. The images show Marines detaining Leao, restraining him with zip ties, and handing him over to the Department of Homeland Security. The military's Northern Command spokesperson told Reuters that members of the military 'may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances.' 'Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel,' the spokesperson added. Following his release, Leao explained that he was on his way to an office at the Department of Veterans Affairs when he crossed a boundary established by some yellow tape and was asked to stop. He also told reporters that he had been treated fairly, saying of the Marines, 'They're just doing their job.' The Marines took over guard duty outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Sawtelle on Friday afternoon. In addition to Veterans Affairs, the 17-story building houses offices for the FBI and a federal passport agency. The building is where California Senator Alex Padilla was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed during a DHS news conference on Thursday. Approximately 700 Marines were activated earlier this week to deploy to L.A. alongside more than 2,000 National Guardsmen by Trump and tasked with protecting federal property and personnel during ongoing anti-ICE protests in the city, including by accompanying ICE agents on raids. The soldiers deployed in L.A. are authorized to detain people they believe pose a threat to federal personnel or property, but only long enough for police to arrest them, as they are not able to perform arrests themselves. Under normal circumstances, the U.S. military is not permitted to take part in civilian law enforcement. As Reuters notes, the last time the military was used in this way was in response to the 1992 protests in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers who beat Rodney King. The presence of soldiers at federal buildings in Los Angeles comes ahead of a nationwide day of protests planned for Saturday, dubbed the 'No Kings' protests, and after days of protests against immigration raids across the city. Los Angeles is home to more than 4 million immigrants.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marines detain civilian in Los Angeles, in first such case
U.S. Marines temporarily detained a civilian in Los Angeles Friday afternoon, the first known case of the military doing so since it deployed to Los Angeles County. The incident was first reported by Reuters, who identified the detained man as U.S. Army veteran Marcos Leao. A spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command confirmed that an individual was detained, but turned over to law enforcement officials after approximately 10 minutes. He was transferred to the custody of officers from the Department of Homeland Security before being released. Per Reuters, Leao was on his way to the nearby Veterans Affairs campus when he crossed yellow tape at the Wilshire federal building, which Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment took over guarding this afternoon. Marines quickly detained him and restrained him using zip ties. Social media and a Backstage account matching Leao's name and image describe him as a 27-year-old personal trainer, actor and model. According to his biography, he completed one tour in Iraq while in the U.S. Army. Leao, who gained U.S. citizenship through his military service according to Reuters, was released by authorities and said he was treated 'very fairly.' Earlier this morning Gen. Scott Sherman, the commander of Task Force 51, the Northern Command body created to oversee military operations in Los Angeles County, confirmed that U.S. Marines from 2/7 had arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday with the main mission of guarding federal property. The first group out of the 700 total Marines from 2/7 are at the Wilshire federal building at Sepulveda and Wilshire boulevards, more than 10 miles from the city blocks in Downtown Los Angeles where protests have mainly occurred over the last week. The building is located near the University of California, Los Angeles, and on the other side of the 405 freeway from the West Los Angeles Veteran Affairs campus. In the Friday briefing, Sherman said that no Marines or National Guard soldiers had 'watched' federal agents arrest people, but had not carried out any temporary detentions. NORTHCOM confirmed to Task & Purpose that Leao's detention was the first such case in the military's deployment to Los Angeles County. On Saturday, June 7, President Donald Trump federalized 2,000 members of the California National Guard, from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, with the order to protect federal property and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the face of protests from Los Angeles residents. On June 9, he ordered 700 Marines from 2/7 to Los Angeles and federalized another 2,000 Guardsmen, mainly from the 49th Military Police Brigade. The Marines spent several days outside of Los Angeles County, carrying out training in less-than-lethal procedures. The second group of National Guard troops have not yet been deployed to Los Angeles. A Marine Corps reply-all email apocalypse has an incredible real-life ending Army shuts down its sole active-duty information operations command Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops The Navy's new recruiting commercial puts the 'dirt wars' in the past
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Watch: First-known civilian detention in LA amid ICE protest turns out to be army veteran; says Marines treated him 'very fairly'
Marcos Leao, center, walks past a checkpoint manned by Marines after he was briefly detained (Image credits: AP) Marines deployed by US President Donald Trump temporarily detained a civilian on Friday at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, the first known incident of its kind amid ongoing protests over ICE raids, the US military has confirmed. A spokesperson for the US Northern Command clarified that while military personnel are not authorised to make arrests, they may temporarily detain individuals 'in specific circumstances." Such detentions, the spokesperson said, end immediately once the individual can be safely handed over to civilian law enforcement. The detained individual, 27-year-old Marcos Leao, later told reporters he was an Army veteran and had been on his way to a department of veterans affairs office when he inadvertently crossed a yellow tape boundary and was stopped. Leao, who became a US citizen through military service, said he was treated fairly. 'They're just doing their job,' he said. Video shows Marines restraining the man with zip ties before handing him over to personnel from the department of homeland security (DHS). The active duty forces took over security duties at the federal building earlier on Friday, as part of a broader deployment in response to days of protests over immigration raids. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Currently, 200 Marines and over 2,000 National Guard members are stationed in LA to protect federal property and personnel. An additional 500 Marines and 2,000 National Guard troops are expected to join them. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the US military is generally prohibited from engaging in civilian law enforcement activities. However, Trump could expand military involvement by invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly enforce laws on the US soil.
