Immigration protests in California and President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to quell them have set up a clash between the president and foe California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who confirmed Monday that the state will sue the federal government over the escalation.
Thousands of protesters were in L.A.’s streets Sunday in response to the National Guard deployment, at one point blocking a freeway and setting self-driving cars ablaze. Law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bangs to control the crowd, The Associated Press reported. As police declared protests in the city to be an unlawful assembly, crowds broke up Sunday evening.
It was the third day of protests after workplace raids began Friday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard. The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We’re suing him,” Newsom posted to X on Monday morning. He teased the lawsuit Sunday night in an interview on MSNBC.
Trump very early Monday called for military in Los Angeles.
“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social platform, Truth Social, shortly after midnight.
Trump spent Sunday at Camp David and will return to the White House on Monday at lunchtime. He’s set to host an afternoon roundtable on investing in America at the White House.
Follow developments in Los Angeles and elsewhere here.