It marks the first time that federal troops have detained a civilian since they were deployed to Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles, U.S. Marines apprehended a man who breached a federal building and failed to comply with their instructions promptly. This incident occurred shortly after the Marines commenced their security watch over the property last Friday.
This event stands as the initial detainment of a civilian by federal troops after their deployment to the city by President Trump in response to protests triggered by immigration arrests. While activated earlier in the week, they officially started their assigned tasks on Friday.
The man, Marcos Leao, was later released without charges and said the Marines were just doing their jobs.
According to a U.S. Army North spokesperson, the troops possess the authority to hold individuals temporarily given specific conditions. The spokesperson clarified that these detentions cease once the individual can be handed over to the appropriate civilian law enforcement authorities.
Leao’s detention shows how the troops’ deployment is putting them closer to carrying out law enforcement actions. Already, National Guard soldiers have been providing security on raids as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown.
Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past a piece of caution tape outside the federal building. He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him.
“I had my headphones in, so I didn’t hear them,” Leao said. “They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying.”
Leao was placed in zip ties and held for more than two hours by the Marines and members of the National Guard, he said. After Los Angeles police arrived, he was released without charges, he said. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said they responded to a call at the scene but weren’t needed, and no charges were filed.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this intense here,” he said later.
A U.S. official told the AP that a civilian had stepped over the line. He was warned they would take him down and they did, according to the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
About 200 Marines out of the 700 deployed arrived in the city Friday, joining 2,000 members of the National Guard that have been stationed outside federal buildings this week in Los Angeles. Another 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week.
Before the unusual deployment, the Pentagon scrambled to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil.
The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, the military has said.
But the use of the active-duty forces still raises difficult questions.
“I believe that this is an inevitable precursor of things yet to come when you put troops with guns right next to civilians who are doing whatever they do,” said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and military judge.
He said it’s an example of Trump’s attempt to unravel the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars active-duty forces from conducting law enforcement.
Watson reported from San Diego, and Baldor from Washington. Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed.
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