Federal Judge Undermines Trump’s Efforts to Secure Los Angeles with National Guard

A federal judge has sided with California’s liberal leadership, ordering the Trump administration to terminate its deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and hand control back to the state. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted California officials’ request for a preliminary injunction, blocking the federal government from using the Guard to support President Trump’s much-needed immigration enforcement efforts, all without Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval. This decision, which is on hold until the following Monday, comes after the administration’s justified move to send troops during the chaos and lawlessness of protests against immigration enforcement in June. By late October, the number of troops had already been reduced to about 100, reflecting the administration’s responsible scaling down of its efforts.

Judge Breyer harshly criticized the administration’s rationale, calling it “shocking” and bordering on “misrepresentation,” and accused it of trying to establish a national police force with state troops. The administration, determined to uphold law and order and protect American citizens, plans to appeal the ruling. This is the first time in decades that National Guard troops were deployed without a governor’s request, and unfortunately, similar attempts to restore order in Democratic-run cities like Portland and Chicago have also been blocked by activist judges.