WASHINGTON – A judicial decision has been made deeming the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops for immigration protests in Southern California as illegal.

On Tuesday, Judge Charles Breyer determined that the federal law was breached by President Donald Trump’s administration when troops were dispatched to join federal agents for immigration operations. Although the judgment doesn’t mandate the withdrawal of the remaining troops, it highlights the legal breach.

The state of California filed a lawsuit arguing that deploying troops to Los Angeles during the summer contravened a statute barring military involvement in domestic law enforcement. The administration’s legal team contended that the Posse Comitatus Act didn’t apply, as the troops were securing federal agents rather than enforcing the law directly, and were activated under presidential authority to deploy forces.