Los Angeles ICE raids: What to know about Donald Trump's deployment of California National Guard troops to LA protests
Share this @internewscast.com

LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard members to Los Angeles in response to immigration demonstrations, despite opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom.

This is not the first occasion Trump has mobilized the National Guard to address protests. In 2020, he encouraged several state governors to dispatch troops to Washington, D.C., following the outcry over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. While numerous governors complied and sent troops to the capital, those who opted out were permitted to keep their forces within their respective states.

California National Guard arrived in downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning, stopping in front of the Hall of Justice next to city hall.

In this instance, Trump is proceeding against Newsom’s wishes, who typically would oversee California’s National Guard operations. Trump argued that federal intervention is necessary to combat what he termed “lawlessness” in California, while Newsom criticized the decision as “intentionally provocative” and warned it would likely heighten existing tensions.

Here are some things to know about when and how the president can deploy troops on U.S. soil.

The laws are a bit vague

Generally, federal military forces are not allowed to carry out civilian law enforcement duties against U.S. citizens except in times of emergency.

An 18th-century wartime law called the Insurrection Act is the main legal mechanism that a president can use to activate the military or National Guard during times of rebellion or unrest. But Trump didn’t invoke the Insurrection Act on Saturday.

Instead, he relied on a similar federal law that allows the president to federalize National Guard troops under certain circumstances.

The National Guard is a hybrid entity that serves both state and federal interests. Often it operates under state command and control, using state funding. Sometimes National Guard troops will be assigned by their state to serve federal missions, remaining under state command but using federal funding.

The law cited by Trump’s proclamation places National Guard troops under federal command. The law says that can be done under three circumstances: When the U.S. is invaded or in danger of invasion; when there is a rebellion or danger of rebellion against the authority of the U.S. government, or when the President is unable to “execute the laws of the United States,” with regular forces.

But the law also says that orders for those purposes “shall be issued through the governors of the States.” It’s not immediately clear if the president can activate National Guard troops without the order of that state’s governor.

The role of the National Guard troops will be limited

Notably, Trump’s proclamation says the National Guard troops will play a supporting role by protecting ICE officers as they enforce the law, rather than having the troops perform law enforcement work.

Steve Vladeck, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center who specializes in military justice and national security law, says that’s because the National Guard troops can’t legally engage in ordinary law enforcement activities unless Trump first invokes the Insurrection Act.

Vladeck said the move raises the risk that the troops could end up using force while filling that “protection” role. The move could also be a precursor to other, more aggressive troop deployments down the road, he wrote on his website.

“There’s nothing these troops will be allowed to do that, for example, the ICE officers against whom these protests have been directed could not do themselves,” Vladeck wrote.

Troops have been mobilized before

The Insurrection Act and related laws were used during the Civil Rights era to protect activists and students desegregating schools. President Dwight Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect Black students integrating Central High School after that state’s governor activated the National Guard to keep the students out.

George H.W. Bush used the Insurrection Act to respond to riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of white police officers who were videotaped beating Black motorist Rodney King.

National Guard troops have been deployed for a variety of emergencies, including the COVID pandemic, hurricanes and other natural disasters. But generally, those deployments are carried out with the agreements of the governors of the responding states.

Trump is willing to use the military on home soil

In 2020, Trump asked governors of several states to deploy their National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to quell protests that arose after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers. Many of the governors agreed, sending troops to the federal district.

At the time, Trump also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act for protests following Floyd’s death in Minneapolis – an intervention rarely seen in modern American history. But then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper pushed back, saying the law should be invoked “only in the most urgent and dire of situations.”

Trump never did invoke the Insurrection Act during his first term.

But while campaigning for his second term, he suggested that would change. Trump told an audience in Iowa in 2023 that he was prevented from using the military to suppress violence in cities and states during his first term, and said if the issue came up again in his next term, “I’m not waiting.”

Trump also promised to deploy the National Guard to help carry out his immigration enforcement goals, and his top adviser Stephen Miller explained how that would be carried out: Troops under sympathetic Republican governors would send troops to nearby states that refuse to participate, Miller said on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” in 2023.

After Trump announced he was federalizing the National Guard troops on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said other measures could follow.

Hegseth wrote on the social media platform X that active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton were on high alert and would also be mobilized “if violence continues.”

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
PIC BY KEVIN EVANS / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED Machine Gun Preacher Sam Childers, South Sudan) - Meet the real-life Machine Gun Preacher, the incredible gun-totting reformed drug and alcohol abusing biker who went on to rescue orphans from blood-thirsty rebels who skin people ALIVE. Sam Childers might look like the archetypal handlebar-moustached Hells Angels type and thats because he was until he made a decision that changed his life. That life - which saw him leave his native USA and travel thousands of miles to East Africa - is now the subject Hollywood blockbuster Machine Gun Preacher released in the UK tomorrow (WEDS). Hunky heart-throb Gerard Butler plays Sam in the film which documents his real-life battle to rescue hundreds of children kidnapped in Africa. SEE CATERS COPY

I’m the Real-Life Inspiration Behind Gerard Butler’s Machine Gun Preacher – My Story of Surviving ISIS and Escaping 10 Assassination Attempts

A HOLLYWOOD star who gave up being a drug dealing bikie is…
Only one bottom line matters with Leon Rose's next Knicks steps

Leon Rose’s Next Moves for the Knicks: The Ultimate Deciding Factor

The seasoned mastermind had finally gotten a step ahead of himself. It…
Whoops: Karen Bass May Have Had a Little Change of Heart About Anti-ICE Chaos in New Statement

Oops: Karen Bass Appears to Shift Her Stance on Anti-ICE Chaos in New Statement

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a striking statement on Friday following…
Madeleine McCann search resumes as suspect's prison release looms after years behind bars

Search for Madeleine McCann Restarts as Suspect Nears Release from Prison After Long Incarceration

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A renewed effort to…
Israel vows to 'act accordingly' as Thunberg sails toward Gaza on Palestinian-flagged vessel

Israel Promises Response as Thunberg Heads to Gaza on Ship with Palestinian Flag

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Israel announced its intention…

Living with Real Sopranos: How I Took Them Down, Survived, and Why They Won’t Kill Me

The former FBI agent who uncovered the mafia family behind The Sopranos…
Justin Bieber fans beg him to 'get help' as he appears to be 'struggling' in new photos

Concerned Fans Urge Justin Bieber to Seek Assistance Following Concerning New Photos

Justin Bieber’s fans begged him to “get help” after he appeared to…
Trump arrives at UFC 316 to 'USA!' cheers amid Elon Musk spat fallout

Trump Receives ‘USA!’ Cheers at UFC 316 in Wake of Elon Musk Dispute

President Trump made a dramatic, grand entrance at the UFC 316 fight…
The Worst News Outlet of the Week - A Look at the Latest Deliveries From the Dysfunctional Media

This Week’s Most Unreliable News Source: Analyzing Our Failing Media’s Recent Stories

As it turned out in the end, it was a close battle…
Jacksonville Armada forced to relocate last-minute for Saturday's games

Jacksonville Armada Must Quickly Find New Venue for Saturday’s Matches

The Armada played at Patton Park Saturday after EWU temporarily suspended their…
Adam Schiff Feels the Need to Comment on LA Anti-ICE Riots, and As Usual He's Wrong About Everything

Adam Schiff Weighs in on LA Protests Against ICE, and Predictably Misses the Mark

As Los Angeles once again falls into disorder—this time due to violent…
Israel vows to prevent Madleen, aid boat operated by Freedom Flotilla Coalition, carrying Greta Thunberg, from reaching Gaza Strip

Israel pledges to block Madleen, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition aid boat with Greta Thunberg aboard, from entering Gaza Strip

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s defense minister has declared that an aid…