National Guard rehearsed show of force against immigration raid protesters, general testifies in Posse Comitatus Act trial

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who commanded Guard troops in Los Angeles, was testifying at a trial to determine whether the Trump administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act when it deployed the soldiers and U.S. Marines to Southern California this summer. The 1878 law generally prohibits a president from using the military to police domestic affairs.

Sherman said the deployment of federal agents on horseback and on foot to MacArthur Park in a neighborhood with a large immigrant population was initially planned for Father’s Day, June 15. But the operation was moved to July 7 after he raised concerns the park could be crowded, he said.