WASHINGTON

A group of roughly 700 US Marines being deployed to protest areas in Los Angeles will have the power to temporarily detain people, the military commander of the operation said Wednesday.

US Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said the Marines will not be deployed to Los Angeles' streets today, but will be "soon" after completing what he called "civil disturbance training and the standing rules of force training." They will not be carrying live ammunition in their rifles and will not be allowed to arrest individuals or conduct search and seizure operations, he said.

"We are strictly here to protect federal facilities and to protect federal agencies and their personnel and allow them to do their job. We are strictly there to help them do their job and to protect them," Sherman told reporters.

Trump has decided to deploy thousands of troops to Los Angeles despite objections from Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, who maintain the action will only serve to inflame tensions. The president's action has again triggered debate within the US over the use of military forces to conduct policing operations.