 "National Guard troops wear gas masks during protests against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, US, on June 12, 2025. Reuters File")
Moments after federal judge blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from using the military to fight crime in California, Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday hailed the ruling, saying Trump’s deployment of national guard troops in Los Angeles this summer was “illegal”.
Taking to X, Newsom posted, “DONALD TRUMP LOSES AGAIN.”
“The courts agree - his militarization of our streets and use of the military against US citizens is ILLEGAL,” he added.
After deploying troops to Los Angeles, President Trump has threatened to send military forces to other US cities, including Chicago.
However, San Francisco US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the June deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement.
This ruling represents a setback for Trump’s efforts to increase military presence on American soil, a move critics warn could dangerously expand executive power and heighten tensions between troops and civilians.
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More ShortsJudge Breyer has stayed the ruling until September 12, and the Trump administration is expected to appeal.
The injunction applies only to military deployment in California, not nationwide.
Judge Breyer cited Trump’s remarks at an August 27 cabinet meeting — where he claimed the right to “do anything I want to do … if I think our country is in danger”— as key to his ruling.
Trump defended the Los Angeles troop presence as necessary to protect federal agents during immigration enforcement after protests erupted over large-scale raids.
“There is no question that federal personnel should be able to perform their jobs without fearing for their safety,” Breyer wrote.
“But to use this as a hook to send military troops alongside federal agents wherever they go proves too much and would frustrate the very purpose of the Posse Comitatus Act.”
Democrats widely condemned the deployment as a militarisation tactic to suppress opposition to Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
Trump has also deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and threatened troops in Chicago, citing crime rates as justification.
While crime spiked in many US cities post-pandemic, it is currently declining in both Washington and Chicago.
With inputs from agencies