California Governor Gavin Newsom is planning on suing the Trump administration over the president federalizing and deploying the National Guard to California to tamp down the anti-ICE riots that took place over the weekend. The announcement comes even as the LA Police Department (LAPD) chief said that they had become “overwhelmed” by the violence.
Newsom said he would be suing the Trump administration during an interview with MSNBC on the topic on the riots, and blamed the president for the violence, “Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act. And we’re going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow.” The planned lawsuit comes after Newsom made efforts to put together a legal fund to challenge the policies of the Trump administration earlier this year.
In a letter posted to X, Newsom wrote that the Trump administration had “unlawfully” deployed the National Guard and that there was “no need” for them to help handle the chaos.
“At present, law enforcement authorities from the City and County of Los Angeles are safeguarding public safety, and, as demonstrated by the robust law enforcement response yesterday evening to protect federal facilities, local law enforcement resources are sufficient to maintain order,” Newsom wrote.
He claimed that the LAPD was “safeguarding public safety” amid the chaos. And further claimed that the city did not “have a problem until Trump got involved” with the riots.
“There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles, and to do so in this unlawful manner and for such a lengthy period is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation, while simultaneously depriving the State from deploying these personnel and resources where they are truly required,” he added in the letter.
Over the weekend, and starting on Friday, violence erupted as anti-ICE rioters targeted federal officers as they were carrying out operations for immigration enforcement. That bled into Saturday and Sunday, with dozens getting arrested after rioters lit cars on fire.
Police had to fire tear gas as well as non-lethal rounds at the rioters over the weekend, and at least three officers were injured during the chaos, the New York Post reported.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell even called the riots “disgusting” in a news conference, and said that his officers had been “overwhelmed” by the chaos. Trump sent in the National Guard after the violence on Saturday, with 300 of the troops arriving by midday on Sunday.
