Judge blocks Trump's use of National Guard in protest-hit Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES - President Donald Trump will be "relieved of his command" of the California National Guard after a judge ruled his deployment of them to protest-hit Los Angeles was "illegal," Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday as he notched a victory in his state's growing stand-off with the White House.
Sporadic but spectacular violence that has rocked Los Angeles over days of demonstrations against immigration raids fell "far short" of the "rebellion" the president described to justify his extraordinary decision to send in the reserve force, US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled.
Trump's actions "were illegal ... He must therefore return control" of the guardsmen to Newsom, Breyer said in the 36-page opinion.
He stayed his order until 12:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) Friday, and the White House swiftly launched an appeal that could go all the way to the Supreme Court.
But Newsom was quick to celebrate the victory - a much-needed win in just one of several fronts that the wealthy, Democratic state is currently fighting against the White House.
"Donald Trump will be relieved of his command at noon tomorrow," Newsom said in televised comments after the ruling was issued.
"He is not a monarch, he is not a king, and he should stop acting like one," the 57-year-old Democrat said.
Protests over the immigration crackdown ordered by the Trump administration first began in Los Angeles on Friday and were largely confined to just a few blocks of the sprawling city. Damages include vandalism, looting, clashes with law enforcement and several torched driverless taxis.
Trump, who has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to Los Angeles despite the objections of local officials, claiming that the city was "burning" and local officials had lost control.
It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard over the wishes of a state's governor.
Critics have accused Trump of a power grab.
But he has been unrepentant, taking credit Thursday for making Los Angeles "safe" and declaring that Newsom - a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 - had "totally lost control."
Anger at Trump's crackdown and the use of masked, armed immigration agents, backed by uniformed soldiers, is rousing protests in other cities.
'REEKS OF TOTALITARIANISM'
The ruling came after California's stand-off with the administration ratcheted up earlier Thursday, when a sitting US senator was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference on the immigration raids.
The shocking incident was slammed by furious Democrats who said it "reeks of totalitarianism."
Video footage shows California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, being pushed from the room at a federal building in Los Angeles as he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the raids.
"I'm Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary," he said as two men grappled with him in front of journalists, including from AFP.
Footage filmed by Padilla's staff outside the room shows the senator being pushed to the ground and handcuffed.
"If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question... you can only imagine what they're doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day labourers out in the Los Angeles community," Padilla said later.
The incident "reeks of totalitarianism," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, calling for an investigation.
The White House hit back, claiming it was a "theatre-kid stunt" and claiming without evidence that Padilla "lunged toward Secretary Noem."
California also sued Trump's administration Thursday over his move to scrap the state's tailpipe emission rules and its drive to phase out gas-powered cars.
Trump was elected last year after promising to launch historic mass deportations.
But with his mounting crackdown rippling through industries heavily reliant on immigrant labour, Trump said he had heard employers' complaints and hinted at a forthcoming policy shift.
"We're going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think. We can't do that to our farmers, and leisure, too, hotels," he said.
Breyer's ruling on the National Guard came two days ahead of the nationwide "No Kings" protests expected on Saturday, the same day Trump attends a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.
The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organised to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army, but also happens to be on the day of Trump's 79th birthday.
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