US Marines Deployed to LA Ahead of Mass Anti-Trump Protests

Men in fatigues and carrying semiautomatic rifles were seen around a federal building, where passersby questioned why they were in an area 18 kilometers from the protests against immigration raids.

AFP witnessed Marines temporarily detaining one man at the federal building before they handed him over to law enforcement.

The US military would not say why he was detained, despite multiple requests, but the incident appeared to be a minor –albeit extremely rare– example of federal troops detaining a US civilian.

Seven hundred Marines –normally used as crack troops in foreign conflicts– along with 4,000 National Guard soldiers are tasked with protecting federal buildings, while local police handle protests over Trump’s sweeps for undocumented migrants.

An intense legal battle is underway over Trump’s authority to deploy troops on US soil as the country braces for widespread protests Saturday, when the Republican will be overseeing a rare large-scale military parade in Washington.

The parade celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Army but also coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday, and will be the first time tanks and other heavy weaponry have rolled through the capital city in three decades.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, whose deputies are part of a large law enforcement response in the enormous city, urged protesters to behave properly.

Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump’s ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants from the country.

About 100 mostly good-natured protesters gathered Friday evening outside the federal detention center in Los Angeles that has been at the heart of the rallies, ahead of a nightly curfew placed on the downtown area by the mayor.