California officials planned to file a lawsuit Monday against U.S. President Donald Trump in response to the administration’s extraordinary deployment of the U.S. National Guard to confront people who took to the streets in Los Angeles to protest Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said the deployment “trampled” the state’s sovereignty. He planned to seek a court order declaring that Trump’s use of the Guard was unlawful and ask for a restraining order to halt the deployment.
Bonta said the suit will be filed later Monday.
“Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral,” California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom told MSNBC on Sunday.
I’m filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to end the illegal takeover of @TheCalGuard, which has escalated chaos and violence in LA.
Donald Trump’s violation of the U.S. Constitution is an overstep of his authority.
We will not let this stand. pic.twitter.com/0gbysP0QOl
Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California’s state sovereignty and the U.S. Constitution. Several times on X Sunday, he urged protesters to remain peaceful and told them not to “take the bait.” He later warned what he called “bad actors” fuelling the flames that they would be held accountable by the state.
The streets of the sprawling city of four million people were quiet Monday morning, but the smell of smoke hung in the air downtown, one day after crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The law enforcement presence was heavy, with police cars blocking the street in front of the federal detention facility that was a focus of the protests.
While much of the city was spared from any violence during the demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, clashes swept through several downtown blocks and a handful of other places.
Arrival of troops spurred anger and fear
It could take days to clear debris from burned cars and to clean off or paint over graffiti sprayed on city hall and other buildings near the detention facility. Sunday was the third and most intense day of demonstrations, as the arrival of around 300 National Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard, but also condemned protesters who became violent.
“I don’t want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily,” Bass told a news conference on Sunday.
Later that night, many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and arresting those who refuse to leave.
Some of those who stayed threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier. Others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover at one point.
U.S. officials said about 1,000 National Guard members were in the city under federal orders by midday Monday. The full 2,000 members authorized by the president were expected to be on the ground by the end of the day. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of military operations.
Trump accuses California officials of lying
Trump said Monday that the city would have been “completely obliterated” if he had not deployed the National Guard.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, the president accused Newsom and Bass of lying by saying Guard troops were not necessary.
The National Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention centre where protesters concentrated.
However, Police Chief Jim McDonnell told a media briefing on Sunday night that the protests were getting out of control and that officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.
Asked if the National Guard was needed, McDonnell said police would not “go to that right away,” but added, “Looking at the violence tonight, I think we’ve got to make a reassessment.”
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.