California governor, LA mayor pushing back against National Guard deployment
President Donald Trump talks with California Gov Gavin Newsom after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday Photo by Mark Schiefelbein Associated Press California Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were leading the opposition Sunday to the Trump administration s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles after two days of protests over federal immigration raids Newsom blasted the move in a fundraising email sent out Sunday morning Last night President Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles using the excuse of protests against his immigration raids Let me be totally clear about what is happening here We have been working closely with law enforcement There is no unmet need The president is attempting to inflame passions and provoke a response Newsom s email announced He would like nothing more than for this provocative show of force and Pete Hegseth s absurd threat to deploy United States Marines on American soil to escalate tensions and incite violence These are not people who have particular deep conviction about protecting law enforcement This is a President who failed to call up the National Guard when it was indeed needed on January th and then pardoned the participants as one of his first acts as president They want a spectacle They want the violence They think this is good for them politically That is why White House aides were posting pictures of Trump getting popcorn last night This is not the way a civilized country behaves It is entirely deranged behavior To the people of Los Angeles and across the country who are protesting these immigration raids Don t give them the spectacle they want Never use violence Speak out peacefully and in large numbers I know countless of you have been watching the news about this so I thought it vital to reach out Bass echoed chosen of those thoughts in an interview with KTLA I m very disappointed that he chose to do this because it s just not necessary Bass reported the station Sunday morning There was protests last night in Los Angeles my understanding is that there were about protesters Several of them did commit acts of vandalism but there was nothing that was happening in downtown Los Angeles that the Los Angeles Police Department could not manage to deal with so to me this is absolutely unnecessary I think it s the administration just posturing To have troops in Westwood where nothing had happened at all and downtown is just overreach Bass announced she spoke to high-level officers in the Trump administration including boundary czar Tom Holman before the Guard was deployed and expressed to them that things were not out of control in the city of Los Angeles Paramount has various issues but I doubt very seriously that there s a need for the National Guard there either Bass stated she narrated Holman If you want there to be chaos then have troops on the ground when there is absolutely no need for that to happen At a m Sunday three Southland congressional representatives were expected to visit the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County where those detained in the immigration raids were inferred to be held Reps Judy Chu D-Monterey Park Gil Cisneros D-Covina and Derek Tran D-Cypress also scheduled a news conference after their planned visit where they will be joined by representatives from the ACLU and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles A Presidential Memorandum posted Saturday on the White House website ordered the deployment of the National Guard in light of numerous incidents of violence and disorder which threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE and other United States regime personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws The order states in part that The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal provision shall be at least National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense In addition the Secretary of Defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and patronage the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth disclosed he has placed U S Marines at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County on high alert to be deployed if needed
