Defense officials are working overtime to throw together guidance in the event that U.S. Marines—sent to Los Angeles Monday—are required to use force on civilians.
The rare prospect is the design of Donald Trump, who ordered 700 Marines to the city amid ongoing protests intended to block ICE raids and thwart his administration’s immigration agenda.
The soldiers are coming from Twentynine Palms, California, and have been trained in deescalation, crowd control, and self-defense, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. But rules on how the active duty soldiers should engage in force are still being drafted, according to nine anonymous U.S. officials who spoke with the AP.
The troops are experienced in active combat zones, having spent time in Syria and Afghanistan. But sending troops overseas is starkly different from sending them to one of America’s most populous cities. In war zones, soldiers are guided by the rules of engagement, but on American soil they will be guided by standing rules for the use of force, which must be agreed upon by Northern Command.
One U.S. official told the AP that each Marine should receive a card indicating what they can and cannot do. Another U.S. official told the publication that the troops will be armed with “normal service weapons” and will be carrying helmets, shields, and gas masks, but they will not be carrying tear gas.
Drafted use-of-force documents obtained by the newswire indicate that the Pentagon has so far written off warning shots, deciding that they should be prohibited. Marines sent to the city are instructed to deescalate but are not prohibited from acting in self-defense, according to the documents.
They are also drafting rules on how Marines should go about protecting federal personnel and property, or detaining civilians if troops are under assault.
Trump’s order violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law dating back to 1878 that forbids the government from using the military for law enforcement purposes. The White House could have bypassed the military doctrine by invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to utilize the military during periods of rebellion or mass civil unrest, but had not done so by the time of the order. (Trump has still not invoked the Insurrection Act, as of the time of publishing.)
The Marines are joining 4,100 National Guard members that Trump similarly tasked with disassembling the protests, against the wishes of local government officials. On Monday, California sued the Trump administration to roll back the National Guard’s deployment, citing logistical challenges that L.A. and state officials said would make it more difficult to safely handle the protests.
In a press conference announcing the lawsuit Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters that Trump had “trampled” California’s sovereignty.
“We don’t take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizing California National Guard troops,” Bonta said.
The president claimed on Truth Social Tuesday morning that Los Angeles would be “burning to the ground” without his militaristic directive.
Trump also endorsed threats to arrest Newsom, telling reporters that he’d “do it.”
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