A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday unanimously stayed a lower-court order that would have returned control of the California National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom, allowing President Donald Trump to remain in command of roughly 4,000 Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines deployed in Los Angeles amid protests over federal immigration raids. Writing per curiam, the panel—two judges appointed by Trump and one by President Joe Biden—said the administration had made a “strong showing” that the president likely acted within his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. §12406, which permits federalization when regular forces are deemed insufficient to enforce federal law. The court cited evidence that protesters threw concrete, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at federal officers and damaged buildings, and rejected the district court’s view that such authority triggers only in cases of outright rebellion. The ruling freezes a June 12 decision by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who had found the deployment illegal. Breyer is scheduled to consider a more detailed injunction on Friday, while California may seek either en-banc review or emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. Newsom said “the President is not a king” and vowed to press the case; Trump hailed the outcome as a “BIG WIN.” The dispute, the first since 1965 in which a president has federalized a state’s National Guard over a governor’s objections, could define the limits of White House authority to use military forces on U.S. soil. The litigation continues under the caption Newsom v. Trump, No. 25-3727, with broader implications for other potential domestic deployments tied to immigration enforcement and civil unrest.

A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction preventing the Trump administration from deploying members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles. The court ruling bars the administration from activating National Guard troops in the city amid ongoing protests. This judicial order restricts former President Donald Trump's ability to use the National Guard for operations in Los Angeles, reflecting judicial intervention in the deployment decision.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom should thank him for deploying the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid recent protests. Trump claims that his intervention kept the city "safe and sound" for two consecutive nights and prevented it from "burning down to the ground." He has characterized Newsom as "incompetent" and "one of the worst governors in history," asserting that the governor had lost control of the situation. Trump also highlighted a recent victory in the Court of Appeals related to the deployment, emphasizing that the military presence was crucial in stabilizing Los Angeles. He further criticized Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for not expressing gratitude for the federal assistance.

More than 30 mayors from the Los Angeles region, led by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have collectively called on the Trump administration to end the intensified immigration raids conducted by ICE in Southern California. These stepped-up federal immigration enforcement actions have caused widespread fear across the cities, triggering protests nationwide and prompting the deployment of the National Guard amid escalating tensions and curfews. The coalition of regional mayors emphasized the need to halt these raids to address the unrest and concerns raised by their communities.

On June 8, 2025, President Donald Trump activated the National Guard without a request from any state governor, marking the first time in 60 years that a U.S. president has taken such action. The last instance of a presidential deployment of the National Guard without a governor's authorization occurred in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators. This unprecedented move by Trump has drawn attention as it deviates from the established protocol where National Guard deployment typically requires a governor's approval.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has clarified that the National Guard deployment to Los Angeles amid ICE protests was not requested by the LAPD. Contrary to President Donald Trump's claims, McDonnell stated that the police department was not in a position to seek National Guard assistance and that the situation had not escalated to a level warranting such a request. Trump had cited McDonnell's authority to justify bypassing California Governor Gavin Newsom in deploying the National Guard. However, McDonnell emphasized that the LAPD follows a protocol that involves escalating requests through appropriate channels and that they were nowhere near the threshold to contact the governor for National Guard support during the protests. Trump also compared the early protests to natural disasters like the Palisades wildfires, a comparison McDonnell did not endorse.

Photos published by the San Francisco Chronicle show California National Guard troops sleeping on the floors of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles while deployed to manage immigration protests. The images, described as evidence of the troops being "wildly underprepared," were confirmed as authentic by the Pentagon after right-wing critics falsely claimed they were fabricated or from unrelated events such as the Afghanistan evacuation. The controversy prompted fact-checking organizations to investigate, ultimately validating the Chronicle's reporting. Governor Gavin Newsom publicly acknowledged the situation, highlighting the conditions faced by the National Guard members during their federalized deployment.

During the 1992 Los Angeles riots triggered by the acquittal of white police officers in the Rodney King case, President George H.W. Bush authorized the deployment of federal troops, including the U.S. Marines, to restore order. The National Guard was mobilized with 3,000 guardsmen on duty in the city and an additional 2,200 ready to provide support. This deployment was carried out at the request of California Governor Pete Wilson and under the authority of the Insurrection Act. The 1992 intervention remains the most recent instance of a U.S. president sending the National Guard to respond to violence in Los Angeles.

Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, addressed questions regarding Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard during the recent Los Angeles riots. When asked whether Trump contacted Democratic officials before the deployment, Leavitt stated that Trump was in communication with California Governor Gavin Newsom and provided prior warning before sending in the National Guard. Leavitt also rejected claims that Trump's response to the protests was a calculated attempt to divert attention from his ongoing feud with Elon Musk, calling such suggestions "incredibly disingenuous." The exchange occurred during a Reuters interview where reporter Nandita Bose questioned the motivation behind Trump's actions amid the unrest in Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom's primary crime is running for governor, citing Newsom's performance as poor. Trump made the remarks when asked by reporters what crime Newsom had committed to warrant arrest. Trump compared Newsom's governance of California to Joe Biden's presidency, saying both have done a bad job. The comments followed Trump's earlier suggestion that it would be a good thing if border czar Tom Homan arrested Newsom. Newsom responded by suing the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests, calling the deployment illegal. Newsom also accused Trump of exacerbating the situation for political gain.

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security and former Governor of South Dakota, has defended the Trump administration's decision to federalize the National Guard in Los Angeles amid violent protests related to immigration enforcement by ICE officers. Noem criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for what she described as 'bad decisions' and a failure to control the situation, asserting that if Newsom had done his job, the deployment of the National Guard would not have been necessary. Noem emphasized that the National Guard's role is to maintain peace and law and order while allowing people to protest. She also stated that the administration is committed to preventing a recurrence of the unrest seen in 2020. The National Guard troops were federalized under Title 10 authority. Noem highlighted that President Trump prioritized the safety of the community over waiting for Newsom to act and did not rule out the potential use of active duty troops to restore order if needed. This stance contrasts with Noem's comments in February 2024, when she warned that federalizing the National Guard would be a 'direct attack' on states' rights.

Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California was barred from entering the Los Angeles Federal Building by National Guard troops deployed to protect federal property amid ongoing riots. Waters reportedly taunted the National Guard members during the incident, prompting criticism from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for her conduct and accusations of spreading misinformation. Concurrently, several Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, Derek Trans, and Luz Rivas, attempted unannounced oversight visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in California to investigate the treatment of detainees. ICE personnel responded by locking gates and denying entry to these lawmakers, actions that have been described by some members of Congress as violations of federal law, which grants them the right to conduct such visits without prior scheduling. The lawmakers have called for disciplinary actions against ICE staff involved in blocking their access. The incidents have occurred amid heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and federal response to civil unrest in Los Angeles.