The United States Northern Command made the announcement on Tuesday that the Trump administration has strengthened its commitment to federalizing the United States military by deploying approximately 2,000 additional National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area. This comes in the midst of widespread immigration crackdowns and ongoing protest protests.
According to the United States Northern Command, the Department of Defense stated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the activation of the National Guard in accordance with Title 10, which grant the president the authority to call the National Guard into federal service in the event that the country is experiencing an invasion or rebellion. This was done in order to support “the protection of federal functions, personnel, and property in the LA area.”
These newly activated troops are members of the 49th Military Police Brigade, which is currently stationed in Fairfield, which is located in Northern California. They are a part of Task Force 51, which comprises a total of 4,100 members of the National Guard and 700 Marines who are currently on active duty.
According to a statement released by the Department of Defense, “the brigade will not directly participate in civilian law enforcement activities,” as is the case with other units that have been identified to support this mission. “The activation of the 49th is intended to provide Task Force 51 with sufficient numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the federal agency that is in charge of the situation.”
The office of Governor Newsom swiftly condemned the announcement, stating that the new activation is the second set of 2,000 federalized National Guard members that have been activated as a result of the order that was issued by Trump on June 9.
This is the cleanup that was done at the Pentagon. According to a statement released by the governor’s office, this is not a new deployment; rather, it is the same group of soldiers who have been diverted from critical wildfire work and work at the border, and who are now twiddling their thumbs for Donald Trump’s political theater.
After thousands of National Guard troops were activated in Los Angeles, the announcement came just a few hours after a panel of three judges had heard arguments regarding whether or not the Trump administration should return command of National Guard troops to the state of California.
On Tuesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to be prepared to maintain President Donald Trump’s authority over the California National Guard troops that had been deployed in response to protests in Los Angeles regarding immigration raids.
A district court issued an order last week requiring President Trump to hand over control of the guard to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who had previously opposed the deployment of the guard. Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court stated that President Trump had improperly deployed the Guard and exceeded his authority. However, the administration promptly filed an appeal, and a panel of three judges with the authority to hear appeals temporarily halted that order.
During the hearing that took place on Tuesday, the question of whether or not the order could be put into effect while the case is being heard by the courts, including possibly the Supreme Court, was discussed.
It is the first time since 1965 that the president has activated a state National Guard without the permission of the governor, and the outcome of the case could have significant repercussions for Trump’s ability to send soldiers into other cities in the United States. In response to a demonstration that took place at a detention center in the downtown area on June 7, Trump made the announcement that he would be sending the Guard to Los Angeles in order to protect federal property. This came after federal immigration agents arrested dozens of immigrants without legal status across the city. According to Newsom, the president was just exacerbating the situation, and he stated that the deployment of the military was not required.
