In a significant and controversial move, President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles County following intense protests against recent immigration raids.
This directive has sparked a clash between state and federal authorities, as the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has criticized the decision as “purposefully inflammatory” and suggested it was designed to create a spectacle rather than address any genuine law enforcement need.
The protests erupted after officials conducted immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, arresting day laborers at a local building supply store.
These raids, characterized by their military-style approach, marked an escalation in the Trump administration’s strategy to enforce immigration laws aggressively.
Multiple legal observers and the American Civil Liberties Union have noted that these arrests occurred without judicial warrants, raising concerns about the legality of the actions taken.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that over 100 undocumented immigrants were detained during the raids in Southern California over two days.
Word of the arrests spread quickly through southern Los Angeles, prompting residents to express their outrage, resulting in subsequent confrontations with law enforcement.
While the Los Angeles Police Department stated that protests on Saturday were peaceful, they acknowledged that clashes occurred in neighboring cities, Compton and Paramount, where police employed tear gas and flashbangs to disperse crowds.
This situation raises significant questions about the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard in a state without the consent of the governor.
The National Guard consists of part-time soldiers who can be mobilized at both state and federal levels.
Typically, under state authority, governors deploy the National Guard to address emergencies, including natural disasters and civil unrest when local law enforcement is overwhelmed.
In extraordinary circumstances, the federal government can take control of National Guard forces, particularly during national emergencies or military actions.
This federalization typically occurs under the Insurrection Act, a law that allows the president to send troops into a state to suppress insurrections or civil disorder.
Although President Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act for this deployment, he referenced a specific provision in the U.S. Code regarding Armed Services.
This provision permits National Guard troops to come under federal command when there are indications of rebellion or threats against federal authority.
The legality of Trump’s order is now under scrutiny, particularly because the order would typically need to be issued through the state’s governor, creating confusion about whether Trump overstepped his legal authority by bypassing Newsom.
In his directive, Trump stated that protests deemed to inhibit the execution of federal laws represented a form of rebellion, although legal experts argue that without a request from the governor, such a deployment is unprecedented.
Civil and human rights lawyer Robert Patillo anticipates potential legal challenges, stating that federal troops are generally deployed at the invitation of a governor.
Patillo referred to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, during which federal troops were brought in at the request of then-Governor Pete Wilson, emphasizing that the current scenario is different due to the lack of a request from Governor Newsom.
According to Patillo, the situation may likely lead to a Supreme Court challenge to determine the legal authority for such a deployment.
Interestingly, this incident is not the first time Trump has activated the National Guard amid social unrest.
During the 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act but ultimately did not do so, urging state governors instead to deploy their National Guard forces.
In contrast, this current deployment showcases Trump’s readiness to act independently, as indicated by his remarks during the 2023 campaign where he asserted he would not wait for a governor’s approval to send in troops.
As tensions continue to escalate in Los Angeles, the ramifications of Trump’s order, both legal and political, remain to be seen, potentially setting the stage for a complex clash of authority between state governance and federal intervention in the coming days.
image source from：https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/8/los-angeles-unrest-is-trump-allowed-to-deploy-national-guard-troops
