California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the state on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s recent military deployments in response to widespread protests triggered by immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles. Newsom’s remarks followed days of civil unrest, the imposition of a local curfew, and legal action from state officials aiming to halt further troop deployments.
“Trump, without consulting California leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state’s National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason,” Newsom said. “This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president enflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk.”
The Governor’s address came shortly after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass enacted a curfew in the city center, citing escalating unrest and looting. Simultaneously, the state filed an emergency motion seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent additional federal military presence. The newly imposed curfew, which led to multiple arrests Tuesday night, aims to restore order in the affected downtown zone.
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“In a resolution passed on the floor of the House, the Assembly directed that Hon. Theresa Ushie step aside for 90 days to allow for an independent investigation into the allegations without interference. The Assembly considered and upheld the impeachment notice submitted by eight out of ten councilors from the Bekwarra Legislative Council. The petition, dated May 19, 2025, accused Hon. Ushie of financial misappropriation, administrative highhandedness, and gross abuse of power, alleging that she had consistently undermined due process and the rule of law in the discharge of her duties.”
The protests began last Friday following federal immigration raids across multiple locations in Los Angeles. Demonstrators quickly mobilized to oppose the arrests, with tensions mounting as law enforcement and protesters clashed across several city districts. Some demonstrations escalated into violent confrontations, resulting in property damage, vandalism, and nearly 400 arrests.
Newsom denounced the subsequent military response, calling it an intentional provocation by the president. “The President, he did it on purpose. As the news spread throughout L.A., anxiety for family and friends ramped up and protests started again. By night, several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive, they vandalized property, they tried to assault police officers,” he stated. “This situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown. But that, that’s not what Donald Trump wanted.”
The Governor further criticized the federal government’s approach as authoritarian. “What we’re witnessing is not law enforcement — it’s authoritarianism. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment,” Newsom said. “Do not give into him.”
The unrest prompted Mayor Bass to impose a nightly curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in a designated one-square-mile downtown area. “The city of Los Angeles is a massive area, 502 square miles,” she clarified. “The area of downtown, where the curfew will take place, is one square mile … Some of the imagery of the protest, of the violence gives the appearance as though this is a citywide crisis and it is not.”
Despite the curfew, demonstrations persisted Tuesday, including near the Metropolitan Detention Center and on the 101 Freeway, where protesters clashed with California Highway Patrol. Later in the evening, confrontations intensified outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, where projectiles were thrown at National Guard troops. Authorities responded with mass arrests as curfew enforcement began.
The protests originated from immigration raids in areas such as Westlake, South LA, and downtown. One of those arrested on Friday was labor leader David Huerta. Several protests over the weekend escalated into chaos, including incidents of freeway blockades and the burning of Waymo vehicles.
Law enforcement has employed various crowd-control tactics such as tear gas, flash bangs, and beanbag rounds. “People who lay a hand on law enforcement officers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
By Tuesday, the presence of U.S. Marines joined the thousands of National Guard troops already stationed in the city, a deployment expected to cost roughly $134 million, according to defense officials. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the federal government, asserting that the orders violated state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment.
“President Trump’s order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles — over the objections of the Governor and local law enforcement — is unnecessary and counterproductive. It’s also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation’s wars,” Bonta stated.
During a speech at Fort Bragg, President Trump defended his decision: “A full-blown assault on peace, on public order and a national sovereignty… If it weren’t for my calling in the National Guard, L.A. would be burning to the ground right now.” He claimed foreign agitators were behind the unrest and pledged to “liberate” the city.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Alex Padilla, in an interview with CBS, attributed the crisis to Trump’s escalated immigration enforcement. He said, “The increasingly aggressive and cruel tactics of the immigration enforcement is what’s prompting the response of people who are passionate about speaking up for our fundamental rights and due process… It’s raking in people who are otherwise innocent, hardworking women and men, children.”
Padilla also criticized the deployment of troops: “The National Guard, to your point, it’s not only not necessary here, it’s counterproductive. Their presence is what’s causing people to feel a little bit more on edge.”
He added, “Los Angeles is my home. I am the proud son of immigrants from Mexico who worked so hard, who sacrificed so much to live their American dream. That’s what the immigrant community is fighting for.”
Similar demonstrations erupted across California. In Santa Ana, fireworks were launched at police on Monday, prompting the use of crowd control tactics. However, Tuesday’s protests in the area remained peaceful. Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez stated, “When a peaceful demonstration escalates into rocks, bottles, mortars, and fireworks being used against public service personnel… it is a violation of the law.”
San Francisco also witnessed unrest, with arrests made after groups engaged in acts of vandalism and ignored police orders to disperse.
The situation across California continues to evolve as officials and residents navigate the volatile intersection of federal immigration policy, public protest, and local governance.
