In the midst of demonstrations, what those responsible say of the rules of force for the National Guard, the Marines
The Navies and the staff of the National Guard have deployed in the midst of the Los Angeles demonstrations will operate under the same rules of strength and will not engage the crowd unless necessary, according to two American officials.
This means that they are responsible for protecting federal buildings and federal staff only – they will not patrol the American streets or will not try to have demonstrators to help the police, the officials said.
While all the troops carry weapons, their weapons will not have an ammunition in the chamber, said officials, but will bear ammunition within the framework of their regular uniforms which can be used in the rare of the necessary self -defense case.
California’s national guard troops are held outside the Edward R. Roybal federal building after their deployment by US President Donald Trump, in response to protests against immigration swings in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025.
Daniel Cole / Reuters
They will also not use rubber bullets or pepper gas.
The officials noted that these rules would change if President Donald Trump invokes the law on insurrection, which he did not do.
A member of the California National Guard held outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025.
Mike Blake / Reuters
The rules of force that the staff operate under the call to defuse the situation as much as possible.
“The arrival of the federal military forces in Los Angeles – in the absence of clear coordination – presents an important logistical and operational challenge for those of us accused of safeguarding this city,” said the head of the Los Angeles police department, Jim McDonnell, in a statement.
“The Los Angeles Police Service, alongside our mutual aid partners, has decades of experience in the management of large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively,” he continued. “That said, our absolute priority is the security of the public and officers on the ground. We urge open and continuous communication lines between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid climbing and ensure a coordinated, legal and orderly response during this critical period.”
Brig de l’Air Force to the retired. General Thomas Edmonds, a former vice-commander of the Air Michigan National Guard, told ABC News: “If I were a commander on the spot in my previous life as a [National] Officer, I would immediately ask for clarification for the good of my people. I would say, so what, when do we use a deadly force? “”
Edmonds said that it seems that the military “defines the mission as an application of the lawless”.
“But they put them with the staff of the police as” protection “. And I do not see the distinction there if I am engaged in the protection of a federal officer [or] federal building, [and if] I am engaged in the application of the law. “”
The navies and guard troops sent to Los Angeles are led by the Army Major, General Scott Sherman, who is deputy commander of the American army North, said officials.
In total, 2,800 soldiers are operational under the status of title 10: 2,100 of the soldiers of the National Guard and 700 navies in active service.
Title 10 of the American code contains a provision that allows the president to appeal to federal soldiers when there is “a rebellion or a danger of rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States” or when “the president cannot be with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States”.
The deployment of the 700 navies was to ensure “an adequate number of forces to provide continuous coverage” of the region, according to US Northern Command.
The force deployed is known as the “Task Force 51” and the managers insist that the troops were trained in de -escalation, the control of crowds and permanent rules for the use of force.
Alex Stone of ABC News contributed to this report.
