Latest news with #PosseComitatusAct
Straits Times
25 minutes 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.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Explainer-What are US troops doing in Los Angeles?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -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.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
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.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Troops begin detaining immigrants in national defense zone at border in escalation of military role
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — U.S. troops have begun directly detaining immigrants accused of trespassing on a recently designated national defense zone along the southern U.S. border, in an escalation of the military's enforcement role, authorities said Wednesday U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Chad Campbell described in detail the first detentions by troops last week of three immigrants accused of trespassing in a national defense area near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Those migrants were quickly turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and are now among more than 1,400 migrants to have been charged with illegally entering militarized areas along that border, under a new border enforcement strategy from President Donald Trump's administration. Troops are prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act. But an exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some instances. Authorities 'noticed three individuals crossing the protective barrier into the United States,' Campbell said. 'A Department of Defense response went to interdict those three individuals, told them to sit down. ... In a matter of three minutes, border patrol agents came in to apprehend. So that three minutes is that temporary detention' by the military. Trump has designated two national military defense areas along the southern U.S. border for New Mexico and a 60-mile (97-kilometer) stretch of western Texas, from El Paso to Fort Hancock, while transferring much of the land from the Interior Department to oversight by the Department of Defense for three years. The Trump administration plans eventually to add more militarized zones along the border, a military spokesman said Wednesday at a news conference in El Paso. 'We have been very clear that there will be additional National Defense Areas across the southern border,' said Geoffrey Carmichael, a spokesperson for an enforcement task force at the southern border. 'I won't speculate to where those are going to be.' Proponents of the militarized zones, including federal prosecutors, say the approach augments traditional efforts by Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement agencies to secure the border. 'These partnerships and consequences exist so that we can promote the most humane border environment we've ever had,' El Paso sector Border Patrol Chief Agent Walter Slosar said. 'We are dissuading people from entering the smuggling cycle ... to make sure that smugglers cannot take advantage of individuals who are trying to come into the United States.' Defense attorneys — and judges in some instances — are pushing back against the novel application of national security charges against immigrants who enter through those militarized zones — and carry a potential sentence of 18 months in prison on top of a possible six-month sentence for illegal entry. A judge in New Mexico has dismissed more than 100 national security charges against immigrants, finding little evidence that immigrants knew about the national defense areas. Those migrants still confronted charges of illegal entry to the U.S. In Texas, a Peruvian woman who crossed the U.S. border illegally was acquitted of unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone in the first trial under the Trump administration's efforts. U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons, who oversees western Texas, vowed to press forward with more military trespassing charges. 'We're gonna keep going forward on these NDA charges,' Simmons said. 'We are gonna still bring them, we may win on them, we may not. ... At the end of the day, you are not going to be allowed to stay in this country if you enter this country illegally.' Greater military engagement at the border takes place at the same time dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. Trump has authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to respond to immigration protests in LA. That directive brings the total number of Guard put on federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100. The Pentagon had already deployed about 700 Marines to the protests to the city.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Troops begin detaining immigrants in national defense zone at border in escalation of military role
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — U.S. troops have begun directly detaining immigrants accused of trespassing on a recently designated national defense zone along the southern U.S. border, in an escalation of the military's enforcement role, authorities said Wednesday U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Chad Campbell described in detail the first detentions by troops last week of three immigrants accused of trespassing in a national defense area near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Those migrants were quickly turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and are now among more than 1,400 migrants to have been charged with illegally entering militarized areas along that border, under a new border enforcement strategy from President Donald Trump's administration. Troops are prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act. But an exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some instances. Authorities 'noticed three individuals crossing the protective barrier into the United States,' Campbell said. 'A Department of Defense response went to interdict those three individuals, told them to sit down. ... In a matter of three minutes, border patrol agents came in to apprehend. So that three minutes is that temporary detention' by the military. Trump has designated two national military defense areas along the southern U.S. border for New Mexico and a 60-mile (97-kilometer) stretch of western Texas, from El Paso to Fort Hancock, while transferring much of the land from the Interior Department to oversight by the Department of Defense for three years. The Trump administration plans eventually to add more militarized zones along the border, a military spokesman said Wednesday at a news conference in El Paso. 'We have been very clear that there will be additional National Defense Areas across the southern border,' said Geoffrey Carmichael, a spokesperson for an enforcement task force at the southern border. 'I won't speculate to where those are going to be.' Proponents of the militarized zones, including federal prosecutors, say the approach augments traditional efforts by Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement agencies to secure the border. 'These partnerships and consequences exist so that we can promote the most humane border environment we've ever had,' El Paso sector Border Patrol Chief Agent Walter Slosar said. 'We are dissuading people from entering the smuggling cycle ... to make sure that smugglers cannot take advantage of individuals who are trying to come into the United States.' Defense attorneys — and judges in some instances — are pushing back against the novel application of national security charges against immigrants who enter through those militarized zones — and carry a potential sentence of 18 months in prison on top of a possible six-month sentence for illegal entry. A judge in New Mexico has dismissed more than 100 national security charges against immigrants, finding little evidence that immigrants knew about the national defense areas. Those migrants still confronted charges of illegal entry to the U.S. In Texas, a Peruvian woman who crossed the U.S. border illegally was acquitted of unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone in the first trial under the Trump administration's efforts. U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons, who oversees western Texas, vowed to press forward with more military trespassing charges. 'We're gonna keep going forward on these NDA charges,' Simmons said. 'We are gonna still bring them, we may win on them, we may not. ... At the end of the day, you are not going to be allowed to stay in this country if you enter this country illegally.' Greater military engagement at the border takes place at the same time dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. Trump has authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to respond to immigration protests in LA. That directive brings the total number of Guard put on federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100. The Pentagon had already deployed about 700 Marines to the protests to the city.
