California governor calls Trump National Guard deployment in LA unlawful
California National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles to quell demonstrations over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement, as the state's Democratic governor called their deployment unlawful.
The National Guard began deploying as demonstrations over federal immigration raids continued for a third day in Los Angeles, culminating in confrontations between protesters and police.
Los Angeles police declared one rally near City Hall to bean "unlawful assembly," alleging that some protesters threw concrete, bottles and other objects at police. "Arrests are being initiated," the department wrote in a post on social media.
Demonstrators shouted "shame on you" at police and some appeared to throw objects, according to video. A group of protesters blocked the 101 Freeway, a major thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful.
Mr Newsom accused Mr 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.
The White House disputed Mr Newsom's characterization, saying in a statement that "everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness".
I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command.
We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while… pic.twitter.com/SYIy81SZdH
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025
Earlier, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators that amassed outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed.
Mr Trump in a social media post, called the demonstrators "violent, insurrectionist mobs" and said he was directing his cabinet officers "to take all such action necessary" to stop what he called "riots".
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, he threatened violence against demonstrators who spit on police or National Guard troops, saying "they spit, we hit." He did not cite any specific incidents.
"If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, it will be very, very strong in terms of law and order," Mr Trump said.
National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount, in southeast Los Angeles, near the Home Depot, the site of altercations between protesters and police.
Law enforcement faced off with a few hundred protesters in Paramount and 100 in downtown Los Angeles, with federal officers firing gas canisters in efforts to disperse crowds, according to Reuters witnesses.
Authorities in Los Angeles arrested about 30 people, including three on suspicion of assaulting an officer. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said three deputies sustained minor injuries.
The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information on a suspect accused of throwing rocks at police vehicles in Paramount, injuring a federal officer.
Despite Mr Trump's rhetoric about the demonstrations, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked whether he was considering invoking the law, he replied "it depends on whether or not there's an insurrection".
' Zero tolerance'
The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made immigration enforcement measures a hallmark of his second term.
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."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her city's law enforcement would have been able to handle the protesters and blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the National Guard.
"It's a feeling here of intentional chaos in a situation that had not broken out to violence short of a few people," Ms Bass, a Democrat, said on CNN.
Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, also blamed the Trump administration.
"It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Ms Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union".
Vanessa Cárdenas, the head of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, accused the Trump administration of "trumping up an excuse to abuse power, and deliberately stoke and force confrontations around immigration."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face the Nation" that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement.
ICE operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security shared information about what it said were the criminal records of some of those arrested.
Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day.
But the sweeping enforcement measures have also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the US government over the immigration raids and deployment of the National Guard.
"We do not agree with this way of addressing the immigration issue," Ms Sheinbaum, who has sought to cultivate a positive relationship with Mr Trump, said at a public event. "The phenomenon will not be addressed with raids or violence. It will be by sitting down and working on comprehensive reform."
Trump's justification
Mr Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the US Code on the Armed Forces. However, Title 10 also says the "orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States".
It was not immediately clear if the president had the legal authority to deploy the National Guard troops without Mr Newsom's order.
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.
Mr 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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: Donald Trump's response to LA protests a lot tougher than Capitol Hill riots response
Is this actually a riot or just a protest? There have been many demonstrations around the world that governments have declared a riot, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds. Media coverage of events in the US shows violence, but it seems to be mainly coming from the National Guard side, although of course most coverage shows the sensational first. If we accept that sending in the National Guard to break up a riot is the right thing to do, then why didn't it happen in a more timely manner at the January 6 Capitol Hill riots? They were real riots and Trump didn't call in the forces then. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia I'll raise a glass or two for those brave enough to admit a Guinness aversion In his letter, Enda Cullen tells us that he is not a fan of Guinness and has never had a pint of same. ('Here is a confession: I don't like Guinness', Sunday Independent, June 8). I am partial to the odd pint of Guinness myself. Being of course a matter of taste, I take Enda's point, and perhaps his pint? Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9 Fantastic Limerick and Cork hurling clash a thrill for even us neutral fans Congratulations to Limerick and Cork hurlers on serving up a fantastic and heart-stopping game of hurling on Saturday. There were really no losers for the neutrals. Hurling keeps on giving season after season. The beautiful game. ADVERTISEMENT Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 Government needs to take proactive steps to ensure nursing-home standards In Ireland, nursing homes tend to be regarded as a place of last resort and are often situated geographically and metaphorically off the public radar. Most residents are aged 85 years or over and have complex co-morbid conditions, with dementia estimated to affect two-thirds. About 32,000 people are living in nursing homes in Ireland. According to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), private entities manage 80pc of beds nationally. Social policy has increasingly been driven by a neoliberalist marketisation of care, with the shift towards the private at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens. Such policies, allied to failures to invest appropriately in supports to help people to 'age in place', have resulted in premature and unnecessary admission to nursing-home care, particularly for those people with dementia. Unfortunately, people are falling through the cracks and coming to harm because of gaps in our health and social-care system. Poor standards of care, as well as neglect and abuse of residents, are not always reported, and sometimes may be deliberately concealed. The three most common complaints around nursing-home care are: insufficient staffing; substandard care and living conditions; and agency neglect or mistreatment. The closed organisational culture in some nursing homes makes it exceptionally challenging for staff to speak up and report abuse. The Government needs to take more proactive measures to ensure the sustainability and quality of our nursing-home care. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Michael D Higgins should reconsider his criticism considering Labour roots President Michael D Higgins has criticised the British government's recent announcement of a £1.5bn (€1.7bn) investment in defence spending. Surely this new spending decision is the British government's own business? Ironic that the main reason for the need to increase defence spending is mainly down to Russian aggression, when the Labour parties in these islands and beyond not so long ago admired and extolled the virtues of the Socialist Republics of the Soviet Union. Indeed, as I recall, The Red Flag was and is the theme song of the Labour Party across the water, as well as here. And I'm sure President Higgins himself could belt out the song if the opportunity presented itself. Peter Declan O'Halloran, Belturbet, Co Cavan McAleese's great work with the GAA integration could earn her top UN seat I sometimes regret that the Government didn't nominate former president Mary McAleese as secretary general of the United Nations. Her interpersonal skills, her courage in confronting difficult issues and her ability to deliver workable solutions makes her a woman of substance. If Mrs McAleese was sitting in the hot seat at UN headquarters in New York there would be a lot less self-serving tactical manoeuvring and far more direct action taken to put manners on the Donald Trumps, Vladimir Putins and Benjamin Netanyahus of this world. What she has achieved as chairperson of the Steering Group on Integration (SGI) of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Camogie Association and the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association is remarkable. The SGI has come up with a definitive pathway for Gaelic games to operate under one GAA umbrella from 2027. There is now an unstoppable momentum behind the process. Grassroots members are excited about the integrated GAA, which will be based on equality, inclusion, respect and togetherness. In one association, Gaelic games will grow from strength to strength under a single administration with a common bond between all of its members. Of added value in the integrated GAA is that members of both sexes can mix freely with like-minded people in a healthy environment. The training, playing and social dimensions will allow boys and girls to get to know each other in a realistic and meaningful way. Hopefully, many enduring friendships, relationships and marriages will have their origins in a progressive unisex association. Who needs online dating agencies when the real deal will be available on the playing fields of the new GAA? Well done, Mary McAleese.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘This is charting new ground' – Donald Trump uses ‘untested' law to deploy National Guard to LA protests
©Washington Post Today at 21:30 Donald Trump's order to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles is unprecedented, relying on an unorthodox use of a law aimed at quelling serious domestic unrest or an attack on the United States by a foreign power, some legal experts said yesterday. Mr Trump invoked a section of the Armed Forces Act that allows the president to bypass a governor's authority over the National Guard and call those troops into federal service when he considers it necessary to repel an invasion or suppress a rebellion, the law states. Related topics Donald Trump
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
California governor calls Trump National Guard deployment in LA unlawful
California National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles to quell demonstrations over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement, as the state's Democratic governor called their deployment unlawful. The National Guard began deploying as demonstrations over federal immigration raids continued for a third day in Los Angeles, culminating in confrontations between protesters and police. Los Angeles police declared one rally near City Hall to bean "unlawful assembly," alleging that some protesters threw concrete, bottles and other objects at police. "Arrests are being initiated," the department wrote in a post on social media. Demonstrators shouted "shame on you" at police and some appeared to throw objects, according to video. A group of protesters blocked the 101 Freeway, a major thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful. Mr Newsom accused Mr 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. The White House disputed Mr Newsom's characterization, saying in a statement that "everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness". I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command. We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while… — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025 Earlier, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators that amassed outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed. Mr Trump in a social media post, called the demonstrators "violent, insurrectionist mobs" and said he was directing his cabinet officers "to take all such action necessary" to stop what he called "riots". Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, he threatened violence against demonstrators who spit on police or National Guard troops, saying "they spit, we hit." He did not cite any specific incidents. "If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, it will be very, very strong in terms of law and order," Mr Trump said. National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount, in southeast Los Angeles, near the Home Depot, the site of altercations between protesters and police. Law enforcement faced off with a few hundred protesters in Paramount and 100 in downtown Los Angeles, with federal officers firing gas canisters in efforts to disperse crowds, according to Reuters witnesses. Authorities in Los Angeles arrested about 30 people, including three on suspicion of assaulting an officer. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said three deputies sustained minor injuries. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information on a suspect accused of throwing rocks at police vehicles in Paramount, injuring a federal officer. Despite Mr Trump's rhetoric about the demonstrations, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder. Asked whether he was considering invoking the law, he replied "it depends on whether or not there's an insurrection". ' Zero tolerance' The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made immigration enforcement measures a hallmark of his second term. 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." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her city's law enforcement would have been able to handle the protesters and blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the National Guard. "It's a feeling here of intentional chaos in a situation that had not broken out to violence short of a few people," Ms Bass, a Democrat, said on CNN. Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, also blamed the Trump administration. "It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Ms Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union". Vanessa Cárdenas, the head of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, accused the Trump administration of "trumping up an excuse to abuse power, and deliberately stoke and force confrontations around immigration." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face the Nation" that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. ICE operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security shared information about what it said were the criminal records of some of those arrested. Mr Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping enforcement measures have also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the US government over the immigration raids and deployment of the National Guard. "We do not agree with this way of addressing the immigration issue," Ms Sheinbaum, who has sought to cultivate a positive relationship with Mr Trump, said at a public event. "The phenomenon will not be addressed with raids or violence. It will be by sitting down and working on comprehensive reform." Trump's justification Mr Trump's justification for the National Guard deployment cited a provision of Title 10 of the US Code on the Armed Forces. However, Title 10 also says the "orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States". It was not immediately clear if the president had the legal authority to deploy the National Guard troops without Mr Newsom's order. 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. Mr 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."
