Judge halts Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in Los Angeles to deal with civil unrest. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer rejected the Trump administration’s argument that protests against federal immigration authorities constituted a rebellion that warranted the president’s federalization of California National Guard troops. 

The federal government has argued that the sometimes-violent protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were interfering with the government’s ability to enforce federal immigration law. 

Although the federal Posse Comitatus Act restricts the ability of the federal government to use military resources for domestic law enforcement, a president may take over, or federalize, state National Guard troops on an emergency basis in certain circumstances. 

“The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one,” Breyer wrote in the court order. 

“Six months after they first federalized the California National Guard, Defendants still retain control of approximately 300 Guardsmen, despite no evidence that execution of federal law is impeded in any way — let alone significantly.” 

The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that the court system has no authority to review a president’s takeover of state National Guard troops in an emergency situation. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

The post Judge halts Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.