California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that he had filed an emergency motion to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops and Marines to quell the riots in Los Angeles.
The city erupted in unrest over the weekend in opposition to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The demonstrations have been marked with vandalism, clashes with law enforcement, and property damage in pockets of the city.
In a post on X, Newsom claimed the White House “is turning the military against American citizens” and that the president’s actions “threatens the very core of our democracy.”
I just filed an emergency motion in court to immediately block the ongoing and unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 10, 2025
The federal government is turning the military against American citizens. This is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. pic.twitter.com/foadPUdlow
Earlier in the day, the governor posted a video in which he explained that “The additional 2,000 National Guard men and women that President Trump now is redeploying are being taken away” and that the state is “taking many of them off assignments on forest management, protecting on forest management, protecting communities against summer and wildfire season.”
He further stated that “we’re removing them from task forces we’ve created to deal with fentanyl interdiction.”
He added: “I have 394 National Guard men and women down at the border. I imagine they may even be pulled for this theatrical display of toughness by a President of the United States who's unhinged and has now crossed a red line in this country.
The Trump Administration is mobilizing an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to inflame tensions in LA, impacting the state’s wildfire prevention & fentanyl task force efforts.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 10, 2025
Trump doesn't care about protecting Californians. He’s militarizing our state & provoking chaos. pic.twitter.com/4qrKig94S4
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the decision to federalize the California National Guard to put down the anti-ICE riots. The state argues that President Donald Trump overstepped his legal authority by making this move without Gov. Newsom’s consent. This move is a violation of the 10th Amendment, according to California’s government.
Has Newsom attended the protests in person to determine what is or isn’t needed?
— paige s. (@PaigeSully88) June 10, 2025
Anyone know? https://t.co/OiGeT3EuQz
Bonta argued that Trump’s order “skipped over multiple, rational, common sense, strategic steps that should have been deployed to quell unrest and prevent escalation.”
Given what we have seen from the courts so far, it is likely that the courts will side with California and order the administration to halt the deployment of military troops in Los Angeles. However, the White House will probably challenge such a ruling — and the matter will likely be addressed after the riots are over. However, given that there are other anti-ICE protests planned for this coming weekend, the issue just might present itself again.