US Military Feared 'Far-Reaching' Implications of Any Mistakes During LA Deployment

Officers Privately Questioned Whether Troops Had Received Proper Training

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As US President Donald Trump began his push to send the National Guard and Marines to US cities, military leaders privately questioned whether the troops had received proper training and warned of the "far-reaching social, political, and operational" risks of aiding law enforcement, according to a Reuters review of military records disclosed in court.

US Army officials planning an operation in MacArthur Park during the June deployment in Los Angeles determined that using troops to protect agents carrying out Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown posed an "extremely high" risk to civilians, troops, and the military's reputation, according to an internal document.

Officials warned that the operation could attract protests and spiral into a riot with potential for "miscommunication and fratricide" as well as accidental harm to civilians, including children, the operation planning document said.

The trove of internal military reports and messages, disclosed during a trial to resolve a lawsuit by California Governor Gavin Newsom, offers a rare inside look at concerns from commanders after Mr. Trump broke a longstanding tradition against using the military in support of domestic law enforcement over the objections of local officials.

Since deploying 4,000 National Guard and 700 US Marines troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration arrests, the Republican Mr. Trump has sent National Guard personnel to Washington and is considering expanding the military presence in other Democratic-run cities.

To mitigate the risks of the Los Angeles deployment, military lawyers drafted rules for using force and de-escalation that troops could access on their phones and that warned of the high stakes of the deployment.