COURT BATTLE OVER TROOP DEPLOYMENT
Some 700 US Marines will be on the streets of the city by Thursday or Friday, the military has said, to support up to 4,000 National Guard troops in protecting federal property and federal agents, including on immigration raids.
The state of California is seeking a federal court order on Thursday that would stop troops from “patrolling the streets of Los Angeles” and limit their role to protecting federal personnel and property. California’s lawsuit ultimately seeks to rescind Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard to the area.
In a court filing on Thursday, California argued that the federal government has already violated the law by having National Guard troops assist immigration agents in raids.
Noem said federal officers have arrested more than 1,500 people and that the department has “tens of thousands of targets” in the region.
She said the Internal Revenue Service was investigating whether there are financial links between the protests and political advocacy groups, something of which there has been little evidence.
LEGAL LIMITS AND NATIONAL BACKLASH
Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice.
The administration has circulated images showing National Guard troops protecting immigration agents who were arresting suspected illegal migrants – a permissible function for the troops under federal law.
But the state argues those Guard troops have crossed the line into illegal activity under the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from participating in civilian law enforcement.
“For example, photos posted on social media by ICE depict heavily armed members of the National Guard standing alongside ICE agents during arrests,” California said in Thursday’s court filing.
Unless a judge intervenes, the military’s role likely will grow to include “detention, interrogation, and other activities that are practically indistinguishable from urban policing operations,” the filing asserts.
The Trump administration said in a Wednesday court filing that the judge should not restrict the military’s activities in Los Angeles.
“Neither the National Guard nor the Marines are engaged in law enforcement. Rather, they are protecting law enforcement, consistent with longstanding practice and the inherent protective power to provide for the safety of federal property and personnel,” the administration wrote.
Even as troops guard federal buildings in Los Angeles, Americans will witness US troops and armored vehicles in the nation’s capital on Saturday when Trump holds a military parade honoring the Army’s 250th birthday in Washington.
Nearly 2,000 protests against the parade, which is taking place on Trump’s 79th birthday, are planned around the country in one of the biggest demonstrations against Trump since he returned to power in January.
