Newsom v. Trump heads to court as protests against ICE raids spread: Updates
Newsom v. Trump heads to court as protests against ICE raids spread: Updates
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See how Los Angeles protests intensified over one weekend
What started as a small protest over immigration raids on Friday ballooned into large demonstrations throughout the weekend. Here's what happened.
Nearly a week after protests over federal immigration enforcement raids first broke out in Los Angeles, a showdown between federal and state officials is expected to land in court on Thursday over whether President Donald Trump can use the military to assist the raids against California leaders' wishes.
In the hearing, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will hear Gov. Gavin Newsom's motion for a temporary restraining order limiting the activities of the 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines Trump deployed in Los Angeles.
Newsom has decried the military intervention as an illegal waste of resources and is asking the court to block the troops' participation in law enforcement activities. He ultimately wants the National Guard returned to state control and Trump's actions declared illegal.
Downtown Los Angeles remained under a curfew after days of demonstrations against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to hundreds of arrests.
The protests broke out on June 6 in response to ongoing ICE raids that have sparked fear among immigrant communities. While many protests have been relatively peaceful, some have turned into scenes of chaos as police fired with less lethal munitions, tear gas and flash-bangs to disperse crowds.
"If I didn't act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now," Trump said at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday.
State and local leaders have disputed Trump's claims, saying the decision has only provoked the unrest, likening the president's actions to "authoritarian regimes."
U.S. Northern Command announced on Wednesday that the 700 active-duty Marines had completed their training for the Los Angeles mission, which included de-escalation and crowd control. The Marines were expected to be deployed within 48 hours to protect federal officers and property. National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said on Wednesday that the troops wouldn't conduct arrests or searches and seizures, but would be authorized to detain protesters temporarily.
Protests are planned for 1,800 communities across the country on June 14, the same day Trump holds a military parade in Washington, D.C. For decades, the GOP has claimed most of the symbols of patriotism, including the American flag, but the people protesting Trump, a Republican, say they are the true patriots now.
The rallies, named "No Kings Day" to oppose what they see as Trump's power grab, are expected to be the largest and most numerous protests since Trump's second term began, dwarfing the Hands Off protests in early April that drew as many as 1 million Americans to the streets at more than 1,000 rallies.
No Kings Day was organized by grassroots groups in cities and towns of all sizes to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary celebration, which is also Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day. Administration officials insist it is a coincidence that the parade falls on Trump's birthday.
Read more here.
Contributing: Reuters
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