By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops already have temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids, the commander in charge said Wednesday, but they quickly turned them over to law enforcement.
Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and one other media outlet, also said about 500 of the National Guard troops have been trained so far to accompany agents on immigration operations. Photos of Guard soldiers providing security for the agents have already been circulated by immigration officials.
Even though things have calmed down in Los Angeles, Sherman warned that he expects the situation will escalate.
“We are expecting a ramp up,” he said, noting that protests across the nation are being discussed now. “I’m focused right here in LA, what’s going on right here. But you know, I think we’re, we’re very concerned.”
Sherman is commander of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the more than 4,000 Guard troops and 700 Marines who have been deployed to Los Angeles to provide security during the protests.
He said those temporary detentions were in the past few days, and there haven’t been many recently as things have calmed down in the city. The troops do not participate in the actual arrests or law enforcement activities, and instead immediately let go of the person once police get them under control or put them in handcuffs.
All of the troops deployed to the protests are going through several days of training on civil unrest, and those providing security on the raids go through additional instruction, legal training and rehearsals with the agents doing the enforcement.
