The White House must remove the last remaining National Guard troops from Los Angeles by Monday, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said a prior order restricting the government’s continued use of Guard forces in the city will stay in effect. President Donald Trump federalized the Guard in June, citing unrest tied to immigration enforcement. At the height of the deployment, roughly 4,000 service members were in Los Angeles; by October, that number had dropped to about 100.
Why It Matters
Since returning to office in January, Trump has authorized the use of federal troops in multiple U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., which he said had “become one of the most dangerous cities in the World.”
Supporters argue the deployments are necessary to curb violence. Critics say the administration is stretching executive authority to target Democratic-led jurisdictions, prompting legal challenges in several courts.
What To Know
Friday’s decision follows a federal ruling issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. Breyer granted a preliminary injunction aimed at stopping the ongoing use of National Guard troops in Los Angeles.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sued to block the deployment when it began. Breyer initially issued a temporary restraining order on June 12, though the appeals court later stayed that earlier decision.
After Breyer’s new Wednesday ruling found there was no longer an emergency justifying the continued presence of Guard troops, the government filed an emergency motion seeking to pause the order. The Ninth Circuit rejected part of that request, leaving intact the portion requiring the administration to withdraw the remaining forces.
However, the court did block a separate part of Breyer’s ruling that would have required the administration to return operational control of the troops to Newsom.
What People Are Saying
In a news statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: “The Ninth Circuit’s decision means that, come Monday, there will be no National Guard troops deployed in California. Let me repeat: For the first time in six months, there will be no military deployed on the streets of Los Angeles.”
U.S. District Judge Charles Brey wrote in his Wednesday ruling: “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. 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.”
“It is profoundly un-American to suggest that people peacefully exercising their fundamental right to protest constitute a risk justifying the federalization of military forces,” he added.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, previously said in a statement to Newsweek about Wednesday’s ruling: “Today’s ruling is abundantly clear—the federalization of the National Guard in California is illegal and must end. The president deployed these brave men and women against their own communities, removing them from essential public safety operations. We look forward to all National Guard service members being returned to state service.”
What Happens Next
The administration has until Monday to remove the remaining troops from Los Angeles.
