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
Man accused of killing teacher wife after wandering shirtless and warning of ‘too many cops’ nearby: police

Shirtless Man Arrested for Allegedly Killing Teacher Wife, Claims ‘Too Many Cops’ Were Close: Police Report

A Texas man has been taken into custody following allegations that he…
Melodee Buzzard: Timeline of investigation into missing 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara, California

Investigative Timeline: The Disappearance of 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard from Santa Barbara, California

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has stepped in to assist in the…
ABC's 'World News Tonight' anchor David Muir honored by Temple University

ABC’s David Muir Receives Prestigious Honor from Temple University for Excellence in Journalism

PHILADELPHIA — Temple University recently hosted a celebration honoring outstanding achievements in…
Broadway musicians reach tentative labor deal, averting a strike

Broadway Musicians Secure Tentative Labor Agreement, Preventing Potential Strike

NEW YORK (AP) — In a significant move to keep the show…
California police officer struck and killed by car while stopping to help driver

Tragic Loss: California Officer Fatally Struck While Heroically Assisting Stranded Driver

The La Mesa Police Department is grieving the loss of one of…
California police officer killed in crash on Interstate 8

Tragic Interstate 8 Collision Claims Life of California Police Officer

The La Mesa community is grappling with the tragic loss of Officer…
42-year-old cold case closed after detectives crack into discovered confession

Detectives Solve 42-Year-Old Cold Case with Newly Uncovered Confession

A chilling chapter from 1983 has finally reached its conclusion in Nassau…
Tropical Storm Melissa is now forecast to become a major hurricane as it trends toward a concerning track

Tropical Storm Melissa Predicted to Intensify into a Major Hurricane, Following a Worrisome Path

Tropical Storm Melissa is slowly making its way across the Caribbean Sea,…
Strike averted: Musicians' union reaches tentative deal with Broadway league

Musicians’ Union and Broadway League Reach Tentative Agreement, Preventing Strike

NEW YORK — Broadway musicians have successfully brokered a preliminary deal with…
Largest teachers union teams up with ‘60s radical professor’s namesake org peddling anti-American curriculum

Controversy Erupts as Largest Teachers Union Partners with Controversial ’60s Radical Group on New Curriculum Initiative

This article is part of Fox News Digital’s investigative series, Campus Radicals.…
4 family members of Illinois governor candidate killed in Montana helicopter crash, campaign says

Tragedy Strikes: Four Relatives of Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Perish in Montana Helicopter Crash, Campaign Reports

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A tragic helicopter crash in Montana has claimed…
Fernandina Beach family pushes for intersection safety after multiple crashes

Fernandina Beach Residents Demand Urgent Intersection Safety Measures Following Frequent Accidents

A family in Fernandina Beach is calling for crucial safety enhancements at…