Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will sue President Donald Trump’s administration for deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles because of protests sparked by immigration raids.
“Donald Trump is putting fuel on this fire,” Newsom posted on social media late Sunday. “Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral. California will be taking him to court.”
Typically, the National Guard is requested when local law enforcement is overwhelmed or needs backup, something Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said did not happen in this case. Instead, he said in a press conference Sunday night, the Guard was proactively ordered in by the president under military command, which McDonnell said left him with questions about their mission and capabilities.
“There’s a protocol; there’s a process,” Newsom told correspondent Jacob Soboroff in an interview on MSNBC. “He didn’t care about that. And the worst part? He completely lied.”
Sunday night marked the third straight day of protests in response to immigration raids across the LA County.
Approximately 300 National Guard troops were on the ground in Los Angeles, Paramount and Compton, where they were assigned to protect federal forces and property, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command.
Another 500 Marines were also staging at Twentynine Palms and “are in a prepared to deploy status should they be necessary to augment and support” those efforts, the statement said.
LA police, who repeatedly dispersed protesters overnight — some of whom lit cars on fire, hurled rocks and clashed with skirmish lines — said 29 people were arrested. There was also reported looting at stores downtown LA, along with the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on reporters and demonstrators.
Newsom noted that Trump posted on social media that everything was safe after he had sent the National Guard — except the Guard had not been deployed at the time.
Newsom also dared Trump’s border czar Tom Homan to “arrest me.” Homan threatened on Saturday to arrest anyone who obstructs the immigration effort, including city and state leaders.
“He knows where to find me,” Newsom said of Homan. “That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have been leading the opposition to Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard, saying it only exacerbated the protests.
Newsom blasted the move in a fundraising email sent out Sunday morning:
“He would like nothing more than for this provocative show of force — and (Secretary of Defense) Pete Hegseth’s absurd threat to deploy United States Marines on American soil — to escalate tensions and incite violence.”
Bass echoed some of those thoughts in an interview with KTLA5. “I’m very disappointed that he chose to do this, because it’s just not necessary,” Bass told the station Sunday morning.
Addressing the media on Sunday evening, Bass said the federal administration ought to let local officials take charge and recall the National Guard troops. She accused Trump of creating an unsafe environment for immigrants during his first term, which has carried into this second term. Bass also noted the detainees had not been allowed any form of communication.
Bass said she spoke to high-level officials in the Trump administration, including Homan before the Guard deployment, and “expressed to them that things were not out of control in the city of Los Angeles. Paramount has some issues, but I doubt very seriously that there’s a need for the National Guard there either.”
Bass said she told Homan, “If you want there to be chaos, then have troops on the ground when there is absolutely no need for that to happen.”
Homan, meanwhile, told NBC News that elected officials could be open to federal prosecution if they’re found to be impeding law enforcement.
“It’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job,” Homan said.
“… I don’t think she’s crossed the line yet,” he said of Bass.
City News Service and staff writer Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report.