{"id":777136,"date":"2026-05-06T11:18:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T11:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/777136\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T11:18:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T11:18:25","slug":"while-ice-cracked-down-on-l-a-protests-marines-were-told-to-use-force-as-last-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/777136\/","title":{"rendered":"While ICE cracked down on L.A. protests, Marines were told to use force as \u2018last resort\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Before being deployed to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests last summer, U.S. Marines were given 12 rules for engaging with protesters<\/a>, and Rule 1 was clear: Force \u201cof any kind\u201d was allowed only as a last resort.<\/p>\n

If force were used, the rule stated, it \u201cshould be the minimum necessary to accomplish the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

That detail is among 178 pages of federal documents released by the Marine Corps to the nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight through the Freedom of Information Act and shared exclusively with The Times. <\/p>\n

The documents paint a thorough picture of how Marines prepared to deploy in Southern California, where they stood alongside National Guard members and agents with the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

The documents also illuminate a glaring contrast between the training of Marines and that of immigration agents, who have been accused repeatedly of using unnecessary force against peaceful protesters, bystanders and immigrants during enforcement operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIronically, I would\u2019ve felt much safer with Marine engagement than with DHS because of the depth of training,\u201d said Ryan Schwank, a former instructor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits at the ICE Academy within the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia.<\/p>\n

Schwank is a whistleblower who resigned in February after revealing that the Trump administration had slashed immigration officer training<\/a>. After reviewing the documents obtained by American Oversight, he said the training given to Marines on crowd control was \u201csignificantly more in-depth and longer than training given to an ICE officer, even under the best of circumstances.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

An ICE agent walks through tear gas that was fired to push protesters back during a raid on Atlantic Boulevard in the city of Bell on June 20, 2025.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions and instead pointed to a February news release<\/a> that said training has not been cut back and that new hires receive additional training after leaving the academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,\u201d said Lauren Bis, a department spokesperson. \u201cOfficers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwank noted that the Marines and ICE officers came to Southern California with different objectives: As protectors of people and property, the Marines had a more limited, reactive mission, while ICE officers were charged with making arrests, a confrontational role. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re giving [ICE officers] less training on it and fewer refreshers than the Marines are getting and yet we\u2019re putting them in a situation where they\u2019re taking the more confrontational actions to where they\u2019re more likely to have to make split-second decisions,\u201d Schwank said. <\/p>\n

For most of history, he added, ICE agents detained people who were already in the custody of another law enforcement agency. He said ICE was never meant to act as riot police.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real fundamental problem isn\u2019t ICE agents using force,\u201d Schwank said. \u201cIt\u2019s ICE agents using force in an environment they are not trained for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The training of Marines, and the lead-up to their deployment, is outlined in the documents reviewed by The Times.<\/p>\n

On June 6, a commanding general emailed other generals to say that \u201cnational-level leadership\u201d had directed Marines to assume an \u201calert posture\u201d and be ready to support the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department and ICE officers who were already responding to civil unrest in downtown Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

The Marines would safeguard federal facilities and thus \u201cprotect lives and property through the restoration of civil order,\u201d the email said.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration directed<\/a> 4,200 California National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to Southern California starting June 7. <\/p>\n

\"Marines <\/p>\n

Marines push back anti-ICE protesters in front of the Federal Building during a \u201cNo Kings Day\u201d in downtown Los Angeles last June.<\/p>\n

(Carlin Stiehl \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

First, though, they needed to be trained.<\/p>\n

The five-day course reviewed use-of-force policies, less-lethal weapons and handling of civil disturbances.<\/p>\n

Overall, the 12 rules emphasized safety, urging Marines to be reasonable, to de-escalate tensions and to avoid confrontations with individuals who posed no threat. <\/p>\n

Marines could use non-deadly force, if necessary, to control a situation or protect themselves or other federal personnel, and deadly force \u201conly when all lesser means have failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExercise due regard for the safety of innocent bystanders when using any type of force,\u201d the rules state. <\/p>\n

Schwank said there is no equivalent to the Marines course at Homeland Security. When he left the academy in February, he said, \u201cthere was no crowd control training, period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crowd control was briefly added to the curriculum in 2021 for experienced law enforcement officers, he said, but it was later removed. ICE recruits may also have gotten lessons on crowd control after leaving the academy and joining their respective field offices, he said. <\/p>\n

When Schwank left the agency, a six-hour class called \u201cPublic Order Public Safety\u201d was in development for the 2026 curriculum, according to documents he provided to Congress.<\/a> Homeland Security did not respond when asked if the class had started.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t assume that any of the ICE officers on scene in L.A. had received any sort of actual crowd control class,\u201d Schwank said. \u201cThey might have gotten a one-to-two-hour PowerPoint slideshow, but that would\u2019ve been it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Marine Col. Beth R. Smith confirmed that the entire 2nd Battalion 7th Marines received academic and practical training before deploying to Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

Managing civil disturbances has been an issue for Homeland Security since at least 2021, according to an audit conducted by the agency\u2019s internal watchdog review of a 2020 deployment to Portland, Ore. <\/p>\n

That year, President Trump mobilized federal power against the protests that spilled into Portland streets after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Trump sent 755 Homeland Security agents to defend federal property in what would come to be seen as a dry run for much larger operations of his second term.<\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

A protester damages a Waymo vehicle at Los Angeles Street and Arcadia Street in L.A. on June 8, 2025.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Nested on rooftops, agents launched chemical weapons against protesters. Ground forces fired less-lethal rounds at point-blank range and forced participants into unmarked vans<\/a> without explanation.<\/p>\n

The audit by the Homeland Security inspector general found that only seven of 63 officers reviewed had received any level of riot and crowd control training. Some officers told investigators that they needed additional training, and many \u201cquestioned their involvement in the operation\u201d due to the lack of preparation. <\/p>\n

\u201dWithout the necessary policies, training, and equipment, DHS will continue to face challenges securing Federal facilities during periods of civil disturbance that could result in injury, death, and liability,\u201d the audit concluded.<\/p>\n

As of spring 2025, Homeland Security records show, the department had not corrected the training failures flagged in the audit years earlier.<\/p>\n

Schwank agreed that the concerns raised in the inspector general\u2019s report were never addressed.<\/p>\n

Liz Hempowicz, deputy executive director of American Oversight, said the Marine Corps\u2019 emphasis on de-escalation and on using force only as a last resort stands in stark contrast to what happened on the ground in Los Angeles with immigration agents. <\/p>\n

The practices outlined in the documents \u201cdiffer from positions taken by senior DHS leadership, whose separate internal communications revealed a mindset that appeared far more encouraging of violence,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Internal Homeland Security emails<\/a> also obtained by American Oversight revealed that the agency\u2019s lead attorney said federal agents in Los Angeles should have \u201cjust started hitting the rioters and arresting everyone that couldn\u2019t get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese records underscore that the difference between disciplined restraint and unnecessary harm can come down to the tone set at the top \u2014 and when that tone shifts toward hostility, the human cost can be devastating,\u201d Hempowicz said. <\/p>\n

Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a military research group, said that for Homeland Security, the issue is partly a training deficiency and partly a cultural shift against agent accountability. <\/p>\n

\u201cTrump talks about \u2018the enemy within\u2019 \u2014 this is what he\u2019s talking about,\u201d she said. \u201cTo some at DHS, the enemy within is all immigrants, it\u2019s cartels \u2014 it\u2019s also groups that are protesting the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversely, the Marines\u2019 documents emphasized personal liability and responsibility. For example, one page said that \u201cif you either use more force than is necessary, or respond with DEADLY-force to a NON-deadly threat \u2014 You will likely lose your right to self-defense, and you will be viewed, under the law, as the \u2018Aggressor.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Marines were told to immediately report anyone violating the 12 rules of engagement. <\/p>\n

The high level of training for Marines shows that command considered the optics of military personnel harming or even killing civilians, Kavanagh said. But just because the deployment worked out last year doesn\u2019t make it a good idea in the long run, she said. <\/p>\n

Kavanagh, alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass, and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, opposed the military deployments<\/a> to Los Angeles last year, maintaining that Marines are trained for foreign combat, not domestic crowd control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see these deployments as a recipe for disaster,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Schwank said ICE\u2019s training touches on personal liability but not in as much depth. Last fall, Stephen Miller, Trump\u2019s deputy chief of staff, said ICE officers \u201chave federal immunity<\/a> in the conduct of your duties, and anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the ground in Los Angeles, ICE agents and other local law enforcement fired a range of less-lethal weapons at protesters, such as pepper balls, hard foam rounds or canisters delivering flash-bang grenades and tear gas. <\/p>\n

At a June 12 protest, a federal agent shoved freelance journalist Anna Sophia Moltke to the ground, causing sprains on her left arm and leg and deep scrapes to her hip and knee that have since scarred. She was carrying a camera, she said, and wore clear press credentials and a helmet that said \u201cPRESS.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember distinctly there being no violence at all until police and ICE showed up,\u201d she said. \u201cWe saw them firing rubber bullets into the crowd. People started running away. I was halfway turned around when they started rushing the crowd, and a tall, 6-foot-4 masked man used both hands to push me onto the concrete.\u201d <\/p>\n

Moltke said she recalled a large group of protesters gathered near the Marines stationed at the northern end of the detention center, just before police and ICE swept through and forced her to the ground. To her knowledge, she said the Marines remained at their post and didn\u2019t participate in street skirmishes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Before being deployed to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests last summer, U.S. Marines were given 12 rules for…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":777137,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[2322,1582,276,318358,91785,3040,11452,318357,2530,17246,168477,2961,224,2444,5337,8762,4532,36700,318356,10576],"class_list":{"0":"post-777136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-agent","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-civil-disturbance","12":"tag-crowd-control","13":"tag-department","14":"tag-deployment","15":"tag-federal-document","16":"tag-force","17":"tag-homeland-security","18":"tag-ice-officer","19":"tag-la","20":"tag-los-angeles","21":"tag-los-angeles-times","22":"tag-losangeles","23":"tag-marines","24":"tag-protester","25":"tag-rule","26":"tag-ryan-schwank","27":"tag-training"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116527361123165936","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}