Army General Says Marines May Temporarily Detain Protesters in LA

They won’t arrest suspects but will detain them until local authorities arrive, the general said. Marines’ rifles will not be loaded with live ammo, he added.

California National Guard members stand guard outside the Federal Building as protests continue in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

The 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops ordered to Los Angeles by President Donald Trump in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations lack the authority to arrest protesters but may temporarily detain them if necessary, an Army general told reporters on June 11.

“Strictly for the protection of the federal personnel and the protection of the federal buildings, they’re allowed to temporarily detain and wait for law enforcement to come and arrest them,” Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said of the troops.

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

The Marines are trained to use their weapons for personal protection, but their rifles will not be loaded with live ammunition during the deployment, said Sherman, who is leading the deployment.

“Not in their rifle, no,” he said when asked whether rifles would carry live ammunition.

The Marines are undergoing “civil disturbance training and the standing rules of force training” for two days, Sherman said. The Marines will not be deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on June 11 but will be there soon, he said.

In a statement issued on June 11, U.S. Northern Command confirmed that the Marines will conduct the same missions currently being performed by the National Guard under Title 10 status.

They can and have accompanied ICE agents on missions, but they are “not a part of the operations,” Northern Command said.

Northern Command said forces are authorized to temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances, such as “to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties.”

A firework explodes near L.A. County sheriff's deputies in Paramount, Calif., on June 7, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Any temporary detention will end immediately when the individual can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel, Northern Command stated.

According to Northern Command, approximately 2,800 service members have been deployed to the greater Los Angeles area as of June 11.

Trump has said the military deployment in Los Angeles prevented violence—which has included protesters throwing projectiles at officers—from raging out of control. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local officials disagreed and criticized the deployment.

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion in court on June 10 seeking to block the federal government’s deployment of troops, arguing that the mission “orders soldiers to engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region, beyond just guarding federal buildings.”

Bonta said on June 10 that allowing federal troops to protect ICE personnel could also violate an 1878 law that generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement.

“Protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE agents into communities and neighborhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law,” Bonta said.

The protests continue to spread from Los Angeles to other cities in the United States, with hundreds of nationwide demonstrations planned for June 14.

Protests have been held in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Washington, New York City, Atlanta, and Chicago.

In Austin, Texas, police fired tear gas and pepper balls in a standoff with demonstrators on June 9.

Further demonstrations are set to take place in Austin this weekend, as well as in other parts of Texas, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In advance of those protests, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he would deploy the National Guard to ensure they remain peaceful.

Reuters contributed to this report.