A court order compelling US President Donald Trump to return National Guard control to California has been paused on appeal. A judge had previously ruled that the Guard’s deployment had exceeded Trump’s authority.
An appeals court has temporarily blocked an order for US President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California Governor Gavin Newsom after their deployment to quell anti-immigration protests.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday paused Judge Charles Breyer’s order after an appeal by the Trump administration.
The court said a hearing on the matter would be heard on Tuesday.
Trump found to have exceeded authority in earlier decision
Before the Appeals Court decision earlier on Thursday, Judge Breyer ruled that the deployment of the Guard was against the law and exceeded Trump’s authority.
“His actions were illegal — both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Breyer wrote in his decision.
Governor Newsom had approached the court for an emergency motion to block troops from deployment during protests over anti-immigration raids.
“This win is not just for California, but the nation. It’s a check on a man whose authoritarian tendencies are increasing by the day,” the governor said on X, before the appeals court decision.
The White House had called Breyer’s order “unprecedented” and said it “puts our brave federal officials in danger.”
“The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
LA protests over immigration enforcement raids
Los Angeles has been the scene of consecutive days of protests over the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants and deportation raids.
Tensions ratcheted up significantly after Trump mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines for deployment to help quell the demonstrations, a move that garnered a high degree of criticism.
While control of the National Guard rests with individual US states, the president can assume command during wartime or in a state of national emergency.
US Marines deployed to LA to begin operations
The Marines that Trump has sent to Los Angeles will begin “full operations” on Friday afternoon,hous Major General Scott Sherman told a press conference.
The development comes after Judge Charles Breyer’s order was paused on Thursday after the appeal by the White House.
“Two companies moved to the Wilshire Federal Building in LA last night. They will take over full operations today at noon at that location,” Sherman said, adding that 200 Marines would be stationed there.
Sherman also said that neither the Marines nor the National Guard troops would be involved in “law enforcement activities.” They are being deployed to protect federal buildings, including detention centers where immigrants have been detained.
It is rare for active duty soldiers to be deployed in domestic civil disturbances.
The last time the military was involved in domestic policing activity was also in Los Angeles, when then-President George HW Bush deployed troops to quell unrest in the riots following the acquittal of police officers who severely beat African American motorist Rodney King.
Four men escape from New Jersey detention center amid protests
Several other US cities, including New York and Chicago, have also seen protests and clashes this week against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s detentions of immigrants.
On Thursday, four men escaped from a privately-run immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, during unrest over conditions inside the center, according to the Department of Homeland Security and New Jersey senator Andy Kim.
Although it is unclear what exactly unfolded on Thursday night, press images showed demonstrators outside the center trying to obstruct law enforcement vehicles from entering or leaving the facility.
The identities of the escaped detainees are unknown.
Edited by: Richard Connor
DW News
