California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to pursue legal action against the Trump administration following the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests, which he claims occurred without his consent.
In a post on X late Sunday, Newsom sharply criticized former President Donald Trump for bypassing the state’s authority. “Donald Trump is putting fuel on this fire. Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral,” he wrote. “California will be taking him to court.”
By Monday morning, the governor doubled down, asserting in another post that Trump “illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” and confirmed, “we’re suing him.”
The deployment of National Guard personnel took place in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend, following large-scale immigration enforcement operations on Friday that sparked protests and intermittent violent confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement.
Footage obtained by CBS Los Angeles showed National Guard members using what appeared to be tear gas and non-lethal rounds as tensions escalated near the Metropolitan Detention Center. According to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, 39 individuals were arrested during the unrest.
Trump, who first announced the deployment on Saturday night, took to social media Sunday to criticize both Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, labeling the demonstrators as “troublemakers and insurrectionists.”
In response, Newsom accused the former president of “escalating the situation” and described the military deployment as “purposefully inflammatory.” He sent a formal letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, urging the federal government to withdraw the National Guard presence in Los Angeles, emphasizing that there was “no need” for such action.
Although Newsom’s office confirmed a 40-minute phone call between the governor and Trump on Saturday, it remains unclear whether the conversation took place before or after the troop deployment announcement.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated in a comment to CBS News that the enforcement operations in question led to the arrests of a “domestic abuser” and a “child rapist.”
