After taking on Musk, Trump now targets Newsom, threatening to arrest the governor of California

The US Northern Command said Monday that the Trump administration will send about 700 active-duty Marines to reinforce the National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles. California officials said the move would escalate the protests further, which they consider unjustified.

California has asked a federal court to stop the Trump administration from “illegally” deploying the state’s National Guard and US Marines in Los Angeles to quell the riots sparked by the president’s immigration raids.

The move to prevent the government from mobilizing thousands of soldiers came after tensions flared up during anti-eviction protests. Demonstrators clashed with law enforcement for several days, sometimes violently, while Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump traded blame over who was responsible for restoring order.

Newsom and California’s lawyers argued that Trump “has repeatedly invoked emergency powers, exceeding the boundaries of legitimate executive power,” and accused the president of escalating military operations in the nation’s second-largest metropolis, which they said was “another unprecedented power grab.”

According to a 22-page complaint filed with the federal court in San Francisco on Monday evening, the deployment of more than 4,000 federal troops to quell protests or prevent future protests is unconstitutional in the absence of evidence that local law enforcement is unable to control the situation and ensure public safety during protests. The Democratic governor urged the court to revoke the president’s order and transfer the National Guard from the control of the Department of Defense to the “legitimate command” of the state government.

The U.S. Northern Command said in a news release that the unit, which belongs to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, was “on alert over the weekend” and will be seamlessly integrated with the National Guard to protect federal personnel and property in the greater Los Angeles area.

The command said in reference to the National Guard-led operation: “The purpose of mobilizing the Marines is to provide the 51st Task Force with a sufficient number of troops to continuously cover the area and support the leading federal agency.”

Task Force 51 is currently composed of approximately 2,100 National Guard soldiers and 700 active-duty Marines, all of whom have received training in “de-escalation, crowd control and the use of force,” the command said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the decision. “The US Marines have served with honor in many wars, defending democracy,” he wrote on X. “They should not be deployed on American soil against their fellow citizens to fulfill the delusional fantasies of a dictatorial president.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X Monday night: “Due to the increased threat to federal law enforcement and federal property, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines will be deployed to Los Angeles to restore order. We have an obligation to protect federal law enforcement – even if Gavin Newsom is unwilling to do so.”

U.S. law typically prohibits the use of active-duty armed forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps) for domestic law enforcement tasks. The law does not apply to the National Guard, which is controlled by the states. On Sunday, Trump signed an order directing U.S. Northern Command to take over the National Guard and send at least 2,000 troops to the area.

In this order, he said, Heggesese could “hire any other member of the regular armed forces as needed” to provide assistance.

Newsom has formally requested the White House to revoke the “illegal” order to dispatch the National Guard and return the troops to his command, warning that such a move would only heighten tensions. The governor said California would sue the government over the action.
Trump said at an event at the White House on Monday that he deployed the National Guard because local officials were “overwhelmed” and that he was prepared to “send more guards if necessary.”

“We must ensure law and order,” Trump said. When asked about the deployment of the Marines, the president seemed unaware that they were heading to Los Angeles.

“Let’s wait and see,” he said. “I think we have it well under control.”

Earlier that day, Trump had said he would be willing to arrest Newsom for the way he handled the crisis. When asked for the reason behind his threat, Trump said Newsom’s “crime was just doing such a bad job that he got elected governor.”

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