Trump Deploys National Guard In LA: What Does The Special Unit Do? Can Prez Send Troops On US Soil?
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California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles county, calling it unlawful
California National Guard troops were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcemen t, a step the state's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, called unlawful.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles county, calling it unlawful. In an interview with MSNBC, Newsom said he planned to sue the administration over the deployment, adding that Trump 'has created the conditions" around the protests. Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California's state sovereignty. 'These are the acts of a dictator, not a president," he wrote in a post on X.
In a social media post, Trump called on McDonnell to do so. 'He should, right now!!!" Trump added. 'Don't let these thugs get away with this. Make America great again!!!"
300 MEMBERS OF NATIONAL GUARD IN CALIFORNIA
U.S. Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. Their mission was limited to protecting federal personnel and property.
National Guard troops guarded federal government buildings, as police and protesters clashed in separate demonstrations over federal immigration raids in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police declared several rallies to be 'unlawful assemblies", accusing some protesters of throwing concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police. Video images showed several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. Los Angeles police officers on horseback attempted to control the crowds.
pic.twitter.com/473uH9osPC — Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) June 8, 2025
UNDER WHICH LAW HAS TRUMP DEPLOYED NATIONAL GUARD?
Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the U.S. Code on the Armed Forces. However, Title 10 also says the 'orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States."
Title 10 allows for National Guard deployment by the federal government if there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States."
Those troops are only allowed to engage in limited activities and cannot undertake ordinary law enforcement activities.
Trump's memo says the troops will 'temporarily protect ICE and other United States government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring, or are likely to occur."
Despite Trump's rhetoric about the demonstrations, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the U.S. military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, 'It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection."
NOT THE FIRST TIME FOR TRUMP
In 2020, Trump had asked governors of several states to send troops to Washington, D.C., to respond to demonstrations that arose after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers. Many of the governors he asked agreed, sending troops to the federal district. The governors that refused the request were allowed to do so, keeping their troops on home soil.
This time, however, Trump is acting in opposition to Newsom, who under normal circumstances would retain control and command of California's National Guard.
WHAT IS NATIONAL GUARD?
The National Guard is a unique branch of the U.S. military that has both state and federal responsibilities. It consists of two parts: the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, which are both considered U.S. military reserve components.
It has been called upon in recent years to respond to many domestic events, including natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-racism protests, and border security challenges. As its domestic role has grown, the guard has also become more integral to international U.S. military operations. The Air National Guard in particular carries out critical military intelligence analysis, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The president can deploy the guard to serve missions overseas, which has happened more frequently in recent years, including to Afghanistan, Iraq, Poland, and the Horn of Africa.
Their recent deployments:
More than one lakh National Guard members were deployed to combat wildfires across nineteen states in 2022.
In 2019, the guard responded to 63 natural disasters, including seven hurricanes or tropical storms, nineteen floods, and twelve fires.
In 2023, members of the Hawaii Army National Guard were mobilized to support disaster response efforts after a massive wildfire on the island of Maui, Hawaii, including by ensuring public order and engaging in search and recovery missions.
Since 9/11, more than one million National Guard members have deployed to theaters including Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as countries in Europe and the Pacific. Most recently, the National Guard has helped collect and analyze intelligence related to Russia's war in Ukraine and assisted in training members of Ukraine's armed forces.
Many states activated their National Guards in response to historic anti-racism protests across the United States after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd in May 2020.
In January 2021, the DC National Guard was deployed in response to an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a mob backing President Donald Trump while lawmakers were meeting to certify the presidential election. The guard was later quartered inside the Capitol building, evoking comparisons to the Civil War.
In March 2024, in response to a surge in subway crime, New York Governor Kathy Hochul dispatched several hundred guard members to help police monitor the city's busiest stations.
As of May 2023, there were around 2,500 National Guard troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of these troops are on federal missions, directed by the president; others are run by states.
CAN THE PRESIDENT DEPLOY TROOPS ON US SOIL?
According to AP, federal military forces are not allowed to carry out civilian law enforcement duties against U.S. citizens except in times of emergency. An 18th-century wartime law called the Insurrection Act is the main legal mechanism that a president can use to activate the military or National Guard during times of rebellion or unrest. But Trump didn't invoke the Insurrection Act on Saturday.
Instead, he relied on a similar federal law that allows the president to federalize National Guard troops under certain circumstances. He federalized part of California's National Guard under what is known as Title 10 authority, which places him, not the governor, atop the chain of command, according to Newsom's office.
The law cited by Trump's proclamation places National Guard troops under federal command. The law says that can be done under three circumstances: When the U.S. is invaded or in danger of invasion; when there is a rebellion or danger of rebellion against the authority of the U.S. government, or when the President is unable to 'execute the laws of the United States," with regular forces.
But the law also says that orders for those purposes 'shall be issued through the governors of the States." It's not immediately clear if the president can activate National Guard troops without the order of that state's governor.
Trump's proclamation says the National Guard troops will play a supporting role by protecting ICE officers as they enforce the law, rather than having the troops perform law enforcement work.
DID OTHER PRESIDENTS DO THIS?
The Insurrection Act and related laws were used during the Civil Rights era to protect activists and students desegregating schools. President Dwight Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect Black students integrating Central High School after that state's governor activated the National Guard to keep the students out.
George H.W. Bush used the Insurrection Act to respond to riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of white police officers who were videotaped beating Black motorist Rodney King.
Let's get this straight:1) Local law enforcement didn't need help.
2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence.
3) Trump succeeded.
4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess. https://t.co/g6bwwZ29fc
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
HAS IT BEEN DONE WITHOUT GOVERNOR'S NOD?
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, President George W. Bush declined to take control of Louisiana's National Guard due to the objection of Governor Kathleen Blanco. Governors have at times requested that the federal government assume control over their guard units, as California Governor Pete Wilson did during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
In a few instances, presidents and governors have clashed over the military's domestic law enforcement role, particularly during periods of civil unrest. While governors can call on guard members to serve as temporary law enforcers, presidents cannot do so under normal circumstances. The Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits the president from using the military in this role. However, presidents can circumvent this law by invoking the Insurrection Act. For example, President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the law to federalize the Arkansas National Guard to enforce desegregation of the state's schools following the governor's refusal to comply with the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. President John F. Kennedy did the same in Alabama and Mississippi.
'HIGH ALERT'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops 'if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were on 'high alert." U.S. Northern Command said about 500 Marines were prepared to deploy if ordered.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard, but also condemned protesters who became violent.
With AP, Reuters Inputs
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First Published:
June 09, 2025, 14:03 IST
News explainers Trump Deploys National Guard In LA: What Does The Special Unit Do? Can Prez Send Troops On US Soil?
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