A lawyer for the state of California told a federal judge on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in support of its immigration crackdown violated federal law and must be halted.
During the second day of a landmark trial in San Francisco, Meghan Strong of the California Attorney General’s Office argued the deployment breached the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA), which bars the military from engaging in civilian law enforcement. She said the move was intended to create “a show of military force so great that any opposition to their agenda was silenced.”
The dispute stems from former President Donald Trump’s June order sending 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following unrest and protests after mass immigration raids. Governor Gavin Newsom opposed the order and sued, claiming the troops engaged in prohibited policing activities such as setting up roadblocks, diverting traffic, and making arrests.
Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton defended the action, saying the violence justified military support and that the troops’ mission was limited to protecting federal agents and property — an exception under the PCA. Government witnesses acknowledged the contested activities but maintained they were permissible when federal assets were threatened.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer pressed Hamilton on whether the president had unchecked authority to declare unrest a “rebellion” against federal authority. While most troops have been withdrawn, Attorney General Rob Bonta said 300 remain active in immigration raids and restricting civilian movement.
Breyer will hear further arguments on Wednesday on whether Newsom has legal standing to bring the case. No date has been set for a ruling. The outcome is unlikely to directly affect Trump’s separate plan to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to address crime.
