California is suing President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth over their order to deploy members of the National Guard to Los Angeles, the state's chief prosecutor announced Monday.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta said federalizing the California National Guard without a request from state and local leaders was an "abuse of the President's authority." He said state sovereignty was "trampled" by the move, which the White House announced Saturday after protests over recent immigration enforcement operations in Southern California turned violent.
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California is seeking a court order declaring that Trump’s use of the National Guard was unlawful. Bonta is asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment, which began Sunday with the arrival of about 300 troops in downtown Los Angeles. More troops could be deployed this week.
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SIGN UP “President Trump’s order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles – over the objections of the Governor and local law enforcement – is unnecessary and counterproductive," Bonta said. "It’s also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation’s wars.
"Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President’s authority under the law – and not one we take lightly. We’re asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order."
Newsom, who typically only deploys the California National Guard upon request from local law enforcement, accused President Trump of trying to create a spectacle rather than acting on a "legitimate need." The governor said Sunday he had formally requested the Trump administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to his command.
It appears to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor. Trump's order authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members for 60 days.
Trump has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is "a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States."
In a post Monday on his social media site, President Trump said Los Angeles would have been "completely obliterated" otherwise. He said Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass should thank him.
Local law enforcement agencies responded to the weekend violence, mostly in downtown Los Angeles, that led to dozens of arrests. National Guard members were stationed at federal properties in Los Angeles, including the federal detention center in the downtown area.
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.
The legal action marks another rift between state and local authorities at the White House. Trump on Monday said his border czar Tom Homan should arrest Newsom over his handling of immigration and the protests.
During brief remarks to reporters, Trump said, "I would do it if I were Tom. I like Gavin Newsom… he's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent."
Newsom responded to the arrest threats Monday in a post on X.
"The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom said. "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
The back-and-forth stemmed from earlier comments by Homan, who said anyone who impedes federal immigration enforcement operations could be arrested. That includes Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, Homan said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
