A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and return authority over the soldiers to the state government.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer issued the preliminary injunction Wednesday in San Francisco in response to a lawsuit from California officials. Governor Gavin Newsom had challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to use state Guard troops without the governor’s consent in support of federal immigration enforcement. Breyer placed a stay on his decision until Monday, giving the Trump administration time to consider an appeal.
The deployment began in June following clashes between protesters and federal immigration officers in Los Angeles. Over 4,000 California National Guard members were initially called up, though the number dropped to a few hundred by late October. As of Friday, U.S. Northern Command officials reported about 100 troops remained in the Los Angeles area, none stationed in public areas.
In a written statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the administration planned to challenge the ruling, stating it looked forward to an “ultimate victory on the issue.” She added, “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to deploy National Guard troops to support federal officers and assets following violent riots that local leaders like Newscum refused to stop.”
Breyer strongly rejected the administration’s arguments, calling its position that courts could not review Guard deployment extensions “shocking,” and its claims about needing troops for federal law enforcement “bordering on misrepresentation.”
He wrote in the ruling, “The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.”
California officials argued the situation on the ground had changed since the initial deployment, and that the continued presence of National Guard troops was unjustified. The Trump administration extended the Guard’s presence into February and used California troops in other cities including Portland, Oregon, and Chicago — deployments that other federal judges have also blocked.
Referencing these broader operations, Breyer said the administration was “effectively creating a national police force made up of state troops.”
The June call-up marked the first time in decades that National Guard troops were federally deployed in a state without the governor’s request. Troops were seen stationed outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles and later on the streets patrolling arrests.
California’s lawsuit asserted that the deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a law restricting the use of U.S. military forces for domestic law enforcement. The administration argued that Trump acted within constitutional authority because violence disrupted his ability to execute federal law.
Breyer had first issued a temporary restraining order in response to the case, which was paused by an appeals court while the matter went to trial. In a final ruling in September, Breyer concluded that the Trump administration had violated federal law.
