By Dietrich Knauth and Jack Queen

(Reuters) -The U.S. government’s unprecedented use of National Guard troops in Los Angeles to protect officers carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown was illegal and should be ended, a lawyer for the state of California told a federal judge on Tuesday.

The lawyer said evidence presented from the landmark trial that began on Monday showed that soldiers had violated a 19th century law that bars the military from civilian law enforcement.

“The government wanted a show of military force so great that any opposition to their agenda was silenced,” said the lawyer, Meghan Strong of the California Attorney General’s Office.

Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton countered that there was “substantial violence” in Los Angeles meriting mil

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