A federal judge has directed the Trump administration to relinquish federal command of the California National Guard in Los Angeles and restore control to state authorities, siding with officials from California who challenged the seizure. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction after the administration federalized the guard in June over Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections to the state’s handling of protests tied to immigration enforcement operations.
The ruling marks another judicial setback for the administration, which has placed National Guard units under federal authority in several Democratic-led cities, arguing the troops are necessary to combat crime and protect federal immigration facilities and personnel. Most of those deployments are entangled in lawsuits, and some disputes have reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Los Angeles was the first of this summer’s federalizations, initially involving more than 4,000 troops; that number has since fallen to roughly 100. The administration has repeatedly sought to extend federal control, most recently asking to continue the federalization through February, asserting an ongoing need.
Judge Breyer rejected the government’s argument that, once lawfully federalized, state guard units may remain under presidential control without judicial review. He warned such a theory would permit a president to create a permanent, federally controlled police force drawn from state troops and would fundamentally disrupt the federalist balance at the core of the U.S. system. Constitutional scholars have raised similar alarms about executive power and the routine use of troops in American cities.
The White House, via spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, maintained the Los Angeles deployment fell within presidential authority and said the administration intends to pursue further legal action. The injunction is temporarily stayed until Monday to allow for an appeal.