A federal appeals court in the United States upheld President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles to address protests against his immigration policy, despite opposition from California authorities.
In a unanimous ruling by the three judges, contained in a 38-page document, it was stated that “the President’s reluctance to issue an order to send federal troops directly through the Governor of California does not fully limit his legitimate authority to call up the National Guard.”
The judges indicated that Donald Trump was authorized to mobilize 4,000 National Guard members for sixty days to “protect government employees” and federal buildings.
On Thursday evening, the American president lauded what he termed a “great victory,” writing on his social media platform, Truth Social: “If our citizens and cities need protection anywhere in the United States, it is our responsibility to provide it, should state authorities or local police be unable to do so for any reason.”
A federal judge had referred the case to California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who ruled last week in a lower court that the President’s decision to deploy the National Guard was illegal and demanded that the management of this entity, which is under the authority of both parties, be returned to the Democratic Governor.
On Thursday, Newsom stated, “The battle is not over,” asserting in a post on X: “We will continue to protest against President Donald Trump’s tyrannical use of American soldiers against our citizens.”
Deploying the National Guard without the consent of the state governor, who also holds authority over this reserve military entity, sets a precedent in the United States since 1965.
A wave of arrests of undocumented migrants by federal immigration authorities sparked protests that were sometimes violent in Los Angeles, a Democratic stronghold.
These developments prompted Trump, who made combating illegal immigration a key focus of his domestic policy, to send the National Guard to contain a situation he deemed beyond the control of Democratic authorities.
