Newsom to sue Trump over National Guard deployment in Los Angeles

Investing.com -- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to sue President Donald Trump over the unlawful deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles County. The troops were deployed in response to protests against Trump’s immigration policy, which have escalated into violence across downtown Los Angeles over the past few days.

Newsom, a Democrat, requested the Trump administration to withdraw the order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops, stating that the move was illegal. The Governor accused Trump of creating the conditions for the protests and violating California’s state sovereignty. He also claimed that the President was attempting to manufacture a crisis.

The unrest in Los Angeles has become a significant point of contention in Trump’s ongoing efforts to curb illegal immigration. The President has pledged to deport large numbers of people in the country illegally and to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. These policies have incited protests, which Trump has labeled as the actions of insurrectionists.

Over the weekend, the demonstrations turned violent, with several self-driving cars from Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Waymo set on fire and protesters throwing concrete projectiles and other items at police. The police declared the entire downtown area an unlawful assembly and ordered protesters to leave. Despite this, the protests continued, with some demonstrators blocking major downtown thoroughfares.

Newsom’s intentions to sue were announced in an interview with MSNBC and in a social media post. However, the White House disputed Newsom’s characterization of the situation, stating that the chaos, violence, and lawlessness were evident.

Despite the President’s strong language against the protesters, he has not yet invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows a President to deploy the U.S. military to suppress civil disorder. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active-duty troops if the violence in Los Angeles continues.

The U.S. Northern Command confirmed that 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three locations in the Los Angeles area. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the National Guard would provide safety to peaceful protesters and law enforcement around buildings.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard. Vanessa Cardenas, head of the immigration advocacy group America’s Voice, accused the Trump administration of using the situation as an excuse to abuse power and deliberately stoke confrontations around immigration.

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