Marines in LA can detain protesters, says top US general, as more cities brace for protests

A top US general on Wednesday confirmed that Marines will soon be deployed to the streets of Los Angeles to support local authorities amid ongoing unrest, though they have not yet been positioned on the ground.

According to a Guardian report, Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, a deputy commanding general in the National Guard and head of the 4,700-troop deployment, said that the Marines will be allowed to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement officers arrive to make formal arrests.

“They’re not on the streets yet, but they will be soon,” The Guardian quoted Sherman as telling reporters, emphasising the military’s support role during the escalating protests.

“They do not do any arrest, they are strictly there to detain, to wait for law enforcement to come and handle those demonstrators,” he added.

Marines still receiving training

Sherman confirmed the marines were receiving training on how to handle civil disturbances and they would not have live ammunition in their rifles during the deployment.

Earlier, US Northern Command spokesperson told CNN that Marines deployed to Los Angeles have not yet completed their Standing Rules for the Use of Force (SRUF) and nonlethal weapons training, and there is no current estimate for when they will be activated by Task Force 51.

Task Force 51, part of US Army North, serves as a contingency command post responsible for rapid troop deployment in homeland defence operations.

The update comes despite assurances from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lawmakers that all deployed troops were already fully trained.

On Tuesday, CNN reported that Marines were still in the training phase, contradicting Hegseth’s earlier claim.

The Marines and other deployed personnel are authorised to temporarily detain individuals only in narrowly defined situations, specifically when de-escalation fails and someone must be held until law enforcement arrives.

CNN affiliate footage taken Tuesday showed Marines practicing detention procedures as part of their training.

Marine Corps spokesperson Lt. Col. Joshua Benson said the exercises focused on “non-lethal crowd control techniques” to help de-escalate situations while protecting federal personnel and property.

Protests spread across US

Protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and military deployment have expanded beyond Los Angeles, with protests erupting in major cities across the US this week.

In New York, large crowds marched through Manhattan on Tuesday, remaining peaceful for most of the day. However, tensions flared in the evening when protesters gathered near the building housing the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, resulting in clashes with police.

In Chicago, protesters also confronted law enforcement on Tuesday. Video footage from CNN affiliate WBBM captured chaotic scenes, including a vehicle driving through the crowd, appearing to strike demonstrators and a cyclist.

Texas has seen unrest in multiple cities. In Austin, police declared a protest unlawful on Monday and used tear gas to disperse the crowd, arresting 13 people. Dallas witnessed a standoff between protesters and police the same day. In San Antonio, hundreds peacefully gathered outside City Hall on Sunday. In response to the ongoing unrest, Governor Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of the Texas National Guard to several locations across the state.

In San Francisco, two immigration courts in the Bay Area shut down Tuesday afternoon due to nearby demonstrations. Footage from CNN affiliate KGO showed protesters chanting outside the court on a picket line.

Denver also saw anti-ICE protests, with marchers moving along major streets before police intervened and blocked their path. The Denver Police Department reported that 17 arrests were made during the protest.

Other cities that have experienced similar demonstrations include Santa Ana, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, DC, indicating a nationwide swell of opposition to the administration’s immigration policies and use of federal force.

‘Mass arrests’ in LA

Late on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department conducted “mass arrests” after protest groups continued to gather in areas under curfew.

“Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda,” the LAPD wrote on X.

“Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated,” it added.

According to The Guardian report, Mayor Karen Bass announced a 10-hour curfew in downtown Los Angeles, where protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have persisted. The curfew, she said, would run from 8 pm to 6 am.

The LAPD said it arrested over 300 protesters in the past two days, added the report.

This crackdown followed California Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency request to block the Trump administration from deploying military forces alongside ICE agents in raids across Los Angeles.

National Guard template for other states

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers on Wednesday that President Trump’s recent decision to federalise the National Guard was not only a response to unrest in Los Angeles but also a strategic move to set a precedent for future deployments elsewhere.

“Part of it was about getting ahead of the problem," CNN quoted Hegseth as saying.

“So that if there are other riots, in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there, if necessary,” he added.

Trump leveraging the crisis?

Trump, who won last year’s election partly on promises to combat what he calls an “invasion” by undocumented migrants, is now leveraging the crisis for political gain.

He ordered the California National Guard to deploy over Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections — marking the first such presidential action in decades.

Trump escalated further by sending about 700 Marines, a force typically used for foreign combat.

“If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump insisted on social media Wednesday.

In a televised address Tuesday night, Newsom warned, “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes.”

“California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here,” the Democrat added.

Trump has also voiced support for a call by a top official to arrest Newsom, a possible Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race, when Trump must step down under constitutional term limits.

With inputs from agencies