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The Intercept
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
The Military Occupied LA for 40 Days and All They Got Was This One Arrest
Thousands of federal troops have been deployed to Los Angeles since June 7 on the orders of President Donald Trump. In the first 40 days of this military operation on U.S. soil, they have done vanishingly close to nothing. The more than 5,000 National Guard soldiers and Marines who have operated in Southern California — under the command of the Army's Task Force 51 — were sent to 'protect the safety and security of federal functions, personnel, and property.' In practice, this has mostly meant guarding federal buildings across LA from protests against the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids sweeping the city. Since Trump called up the troops on June 7, they have carried out exactly one temporary detainment, a Task Force 51 spokesperson told The Intercept. On Tuesday, Trump administration officials announced that about 2,000 troops deployed to LA would be released. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described this action-packed deployment as Task Force 51 supporting 'more than 170 missions in over 130 separate locations from nine federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the US Marshal Service, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security' in a briefing in early July. Task Force 51 failed to provide any other metrics regarding troops' involvement in raids, arrests, or street patrols in response to questions by The Intercept. 'The militarization of Los Angeles and the deployment of nearly 5,000 soldiers is completely unnecessary.' The deployments are expected to cost the public hundreds of millions of dollars. Troops were sent to LA over the objections of local officials and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Officials and experts decried the show of military force to counter overwhelmingly peaceful and relatively limited protests as a dangerous abuse of power and a misuse of federal funds. 'We've said it time and again since day one, the militarization of Los Angeles and the deployment of nearly 5,000 soldiers is completely unnecessary and done out of pure theater,' Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Newsom's deputy director of communications, told The Intercept, referencing the president and a top aide and the architect of his anti-immigrant agenda. 'Trump and Stephen Miller are to blame here — they are creating their own chaos, military escalation, and tearing up hardworking families with their indiscriminate raids.' The directive signed by Trump, calling up the California National Guard, cited '10 U.S.C. 12406,' a provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services that allows the federal deployment of National Guard forces if 'there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' This weekend, Vice President J.D. Vance was vacationing at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, about 25 miles from LA, the city supposedly still in or on the verge of rebellion. 'If the region was such a threat that Trump felt the need to deploy the military against its own citizens, why has the Vice President visited the area twice over the past several weeks, including taking his family to Disneyland this past weekend?' asked Crofts-Pelayo. In addition to guarding federal buildings, troops have also recently participated in raids alongside camouflage-clad ICE agents. An assault on MacArthur Park, a recreational hub in one of Los Angeles's most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods on July 7, for example, included 90 armed U.S. troops and 17 military Humvees. Its main accomplishment was rousting a summer day camp for children. No arrests were made. 'To have armored vehicles deployed on the streets of our city, to federalize the National Guard, to have the U.S. Marines who are trained to kill abroad, deployed to our city — all of this is outrageous and it is un-American,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced in the wake of the joint ICE-military operation. 'It's clear that this is all part of a political agenda to terrorize immigrants and signal that they need to stay at home when there are entire sectors of our economy that rely on immigrant workers.' Read our complete coverage During the MacArthur Park raid, codenamed Operation Excalibur, the military was to provide 'static interagency site protection' and 'mounted mobile security' according to leaked materials exposed by former Intercept reporter Ken Klippenstein who said that the 'planning went bust.' California National Guard soldiers also backed ICE raids on state-licensed marijuana nurseries last week. The troops took part in the military-style assaults on two locations, one in the Santa Barbara County town of Carpinteria, about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and one in the Ventura County community of Camarillo, about 50 miles from L.A. ICE detained more than 200 people, including U.S. citizens, during the joint operations. One man, Jaime Alanís Garcia, died due to the raid in Camarillo. After calling up the National Guard on June 7, the Trump administration went further, as Northern Command activated 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division and sent them to Los Angeles. On July 1, Task Force 51 announced that it would release approximately 150 members of the California National Guard from their LA duty. That same day, NORTHCOM said that the 2/7 Marines were leaving Los Angeles but would be replaced by the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. All told, there are still 4,700 troops operating under Title 10 in Los Angeles, consisting of approximately 4,000 National Guard Soldiers and 700 Marines, according to Army North. Since the deployments began, around 5,500 troops, in total, have been sent to LA, according to Becky Farmer, a NORTHCOM spokesperson. 'Title 10 forces have been involved in one temporary detainment until the individual could be safely transferred.' A spokesperson for Task Force 51 told The Intercept that, in Los Angeles, 'Title 10 forces have been involved in one temporary detainment until the individual could be safely transferred to federal law enforcement.' The lone detention was reportedly conducted by Marines sent to guard the Wilshire Federal Building, a 17-story office building on Wilshire Boulevard in LA. Video of the incident shows Marines in full combat gear and automatic weapons zip-tying an unresisting man — clad in shorts, a T-shirt, and sunglasses — on the ground. At one point, the detainee, with his hands bound behind him, is surrounded by no fewer than six Marines and two other officials who appear to be federal security guards. The man, Marcos Leao, was not involved in any protest. The former Army combat engineer, who gained U.S. citizenship through his military service, told Reuters that he was in a rush to get to an appointment in the Veterans Affairs office inside the Federal Building. When he crossed a strand of caution tape, he found an armed Marine sprinting toward him. For weeks, U.S. Army North has not responded to requests for additional information about the incident. A federal judge in California on Friday blocked the Trump administration from 'indiscriminately' arresting people, saying that it had likely broken the law by dispatching 'roving patrols' of agents to carry out mass arrests. Two temporary restraining orders issued by Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California directed the government to stop racial profiling as part of its immigration crackdown. In her 52-page ruling, Frimpong declared that the government 'may not rely solely, alone or in combination,' on race or ethnicity; on a person speaking Spanish or English with an accent; or the type of work performed to establish reasonable suspicion to stop and detain people. 'What the federal government would have this Court believe — in the face of a mountain of evidence presented in this case — is that none of this is actually happening,' Frimpong wrote. While federal troops, including Marines from Camp Pendleton in California, are ostensibly protecting ICE agents in Los Angeles, ICE agents are now involved in protecting Marines at Camp Pendleton as well as those at Marine Corps bases in Quantico, Virginia, and in Hawaii, as part of a pilot program also involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. ICE agents are now involved with 'identity verification and access screening operations' at Camp Pendleton in order 'to deter unauthorized installation access by foreign nationals.' The overlapping missions of military forces and civilian law enforcement in the U.S. have blurred lines, sown confusion, and pushed the U.S. further down the path of becoming a police state. Task Force 51 stresses that troops serving under Title 10 duty 'are not authorized to directly participate in law enforcement activities,' although they 'may temporarily detain an individual for protection purposes — to stop an assault of, to prevent harm to, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties.' Some troops have voiced trepidation about their deployment. Little-noticed interviews with soldiers serving in Los Angeles, published by the military itself, offer a glimpse of apprehension among Guardsmen sent to quell protests in the city. 'At first it was a little scary not knowing what I'm jumping into,' said Specialist Nadia Cano of the California Army National Guard in late June, noting troops were 'doing training possibly to be on mission with law enforcement and other federal government agencies.' At about the same time, Private First Class Andrew Oliveira, also of the Guard, began his interview with a military reporter with a statement that spoke to his state of unease. 'I think we all feel a little bit anxious about why we're here,' he said. Experts say that the introduction of military troops into civilian law enforcement support further strains civil-military relations and risks violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, a bedrock 19th-century law seen as fundamental to the democratic tradition in America. The Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Pentagon releases 150 National Guard troops from security mission deployment in LA as wildfire threats mount
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved the release of 150 California National Guard troops from a federal security mission in Los Angeles, freeing them up for wildfire duty just as the state enters peak fire season. The decision came at the recommendation of Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, who oversees the mission. In a statement provided to Fox News, a USNORTHCOM spokesperson said, "Task Force 51 will release approximately 150 members of the California National Guard from the Federal Protection mission today," adding that the force remains "appropriately sourced." The move comes days after Guillot reportedly requested the return of 200 troops to help with wildfire containment, The Associated Press reported. The National Guard's elite Joint Task Force Rattlesnake has been stretched thin since President Donald Trump deployed roughly 4,000 California National Guard troops and 800 Marines to Los Angeles in early June in response to violent protests over immigration enforcement actions. The deployment sparked controversy among state political leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who criticized the move for pulling essential firefighting resources during one of the driest years on record. But the Pentagon held firm, until now. Task Force 51 (TF-51), led by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman, is tasked with protecting federal personnel and property. According to the U.S. Army North, TF-51 "provides a rapidly deployable capability" to assist in homeland defense operations. Sherman, a decorated combat veteran and longtime National Guard leader, also serves as deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army North. Despite debate over the scope of the mission during Los Angeles' anti-ICE protests, Hegseth has stood behind it. With 150 troops released, roughly 3,850 troops remain based on the originally deployed 4,000. Newsom's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin deploys 2K more troops to blue city for anti-ICE riots
The Department of Defense is sending thousands more National Guard troops to protect federal property amid anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots in Los Angeles. "By direction of the Secretary of Defense and in coordination with U.S. Northern Command, 2,000 additional California Army National Guard soldiers have been activated in a Title 10 status to support the protection of federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area," according to a Tuesday release from U.S. Northern Command. The release says that the 49th Military Police Brigade will be sent to serve alongside the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat team and the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, under the direction of Task Force 51, which is commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman. The task force, which has been the subject of controversy since it was deployed to the West Coast city after an eruption of violence stemming from immigration operations carried out by ICE, will now be comprised of 4,100 National Guardsmen and 700 active duty Marines. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week sued the Trump administration for deploying troops to California in the first place, accusing the president of having "commandeered" 2,000 of the state's National Guard members "illegally, for no reason" without consulting with California's law enforcement leaders. "The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists," Trump said on TRUTH Social in response to the lawsuit. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of Newsom. An appellate court is currently reviewing the matter. Northern Command said that the troops will not be used in a civilian law enforcement capacity, but rather they will "provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency." "The soldiers are completing training on de-escalation, crowd control, and use of the standing rules for the use of force in advance of joining the federal protection mission," the release said. About two weeks ago, riots erupted in Paramount, California, just south of Los Angeles, after ICE conducted immigration sweeps in the city. Those riots quickly spread north, leading to several nights of showdowns between law enforcement and unruly bad actors. Stores in downtown Los Angeles were broken into and looted, and much of the downtown area was vandalized with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti. Several "Kill Trump" messages were graffitied in the city's downtown. The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News Digital last week it was "aware" of the threatening messages. Meanwhile, violent behavior continues to flare up. A mob of 100 looters ransacked an AutoZone in southern Los Angeles early Monday morning, resulting in the reported loss of $67,000 in merchandise. Detectives are investigating whether the looting episode is related to a "street takeover." Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office for comment.
Express Tribune
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US Marines detain first civilian in LA amidst protests
.S. Marines detain a person outside the Wilshire Federal Building after Marines were deployed to Los Angeles, as protests against federal immigration sweeps continue, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2025. Photo:REUTER Listen to article Marines deployed to Los Angeles temporarily detained a civilian on Friday, the US military confirmed after being presented with Reuters images, in the first known detention by active-duty troops deployed there by President Donald Trump. The incident took place at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles where Marines took charge of the mission to protect the building earlier on Friday, in a rare domestic use of US troops after days of protests over immigration raids. Reuters images showed Marines apprehending the man, restraining his hands with zip ties and then handing him over to civilians from the Department of Homeland Security. Asked about the incident, the US military's Northern Command spokesperson said active duty forces "may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances." Ensuring our Marines are ready to serve! 2nd Bn, 7th Marines supports #LosAngeles under @USArmyNorth's #TaskForce51, prioritizing rest & recovery for maximum operational effectiveness. Stay informed — U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) June 13, 2025 "Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel," a spokesperson said. Speaking to reporters after he was released, the civilian identified himself as Marcos Leao, 27. Leao said he was an Army veteran on his way to an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs when he crossed a yellow tape boundary and was asked to stop. Leao, who gained his US citizenship through military service, said he was treated "very fairly." "They're just doing their job," said Leao, who is of Angolan and Portuguese descent. The 200 Marines and more than 2,000 National Guard now deployed to Los Angeles are tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel. They will be joined by an additional 500 Marines and 2,000 more National Guard soldiers. This means that they will accompany ICE agents on raids, officials have said. Ensuring our Marines are ready to serve! 2nd Bn, 7th Marines supports #LosAngeles under @USArmyNorth's #TaskForce51, prioritizing rest & recovery for maximum operational effectiveness. Stay informed — U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) June 13, 2025 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 US 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. Read: US Marines deployed to LA US Marines were deployed to Los Angeles on June 13, the military said, in a rare domestic use of its forces after days of protests over immigration raids and as nationwide demonstrations were expected on Saturday, in the biggest backlash since President Donald Trump returned to power. About 200 Marines will protect a federal building in Los Angeles, Army Major General Scott Sherman said on Friday. The administration has authorized a total of 700 Marines to be deployed in the city. Neither the Marines nor National Guard troops in the city have temporarily detained anyone, he added. "I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities," he said during a briefing. US Marines made the first known detention of a civilian during their Los Angeles deployment. Reuters images showed Marines apprehending a civilian, restraining him and then handing him over to civilians from the Department of Homeland Security — Reuters (@Reuters) June 14, 2025 It is uncommon for active-duty troops to be used domestically during civil disturbances. The last time the military was used for direct police action was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked then President George HW Bush to invoke the Insurrection Act to help respond to Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King. The US military confirmed Marines in Los Angeles have detained a civilian for the first time, after being shown this photo by Reuters. Earlier, two defense officials said Marines are authorized to TEMPORARILY detain people if 'threatened' or 'harassed.' This was outside the… — Carl Nasman (@CarlNasman) June 13, 2025 A court decided on Thursday that Trump can keep his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles for now.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marines in LA as ‘No Kings' protest looms
LOS ANGELES - Roughly 200 U.S. Marines moved into Los Angeles Friday to protect federal buildings amid continuing protests over ongoing immigration raids. What we know Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51, said the deployment of Marines in the LA area will free up National Guard troops, who have been primarily protecting federal property over the past week. With the help of the Marines, National Guard troops will now serve a more protective role for federal agents conducting enforcement operations in the field. "I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities," Sherman told reporters during a morning briefing. "Rather, they'll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel." Sherman said some National Guard troops have already been doing protective work for federal agents conducting immigration enforcement activities, but they have not engaged in any police-type work or made any arrests or detentions. RELATED:National Guard in LA: Why is Newsom suing the Trump administration? Marines began arriving around midday Friday at the federal building in West Los Angeles. By mid-afternoon, more than a dozen were stationed outside the 17-story Wilshire Federal Building, replacing some members of the National Guard at various entrances. They mostly appeared to be checking tickets from members of the public who were there to renew their passports. Sherman said the U.S. Marine Corps is responsible for guarding U.S. embassies overseas so they are well-trained on how to defend a federal building. Their arrival comes a day ahead of the planned 'No Kings' protests which are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and across the nation. The No Kings Day of Defiance is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office, organizers said. The protest coincides with a planned military parade in Washington, D.C. that celebrates the Army's 250th birthday and President Trump's 79th birthday. "From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like," organizers said on the official No Kings website. SUGGESTED:' No Kings' anti-Trump protests planned in California: Here's when and where List: 'No Kings' anti-Trump protest locations in LA, Southern California The protests are in affiliation with the 50501 movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. Ahead of Saturday's events, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna and CHP Deputy Commissioner Ezery Beauchamp held a joint news conference at LAPD headquarters on Friday to discuss law-enforcement preparations aimed at keeping the numerous demonstrations peaceful. Their message was clear: Law enforcement is fully prepared and will arrest anyone who commits a crime or incites violence. The Source Information for this story came from Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman and previous FOX 11 reports. City News Service contributed.
