Los Angeles protests: Federal judge denies Gavin Newsom's plea to block troop deployment; Donald Trump defends use of National Guard

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected an urgent legal attempt by California governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta to block US President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and US Marines in Los Angeles.US District Judge Charles Breyer denied the emergency motion and granted the Trump administration additional time to respond. A hearing has been scheduled for Thursday.The ruling came just hours after the state filed a temporary restraining order against what Newsom described as the “unlawful militarisation” of the city, following large-scale protests triggered by aggressive immigration raids.

The legal challenge was part of a wider lawsuit targeting Trump, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the department of defense, which accuses the federal government of commandeering state forces for immigration enforcement.Newsom warned that sending in troops would make the situation worse and put people’s safety at risk.“The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens,” the governor said in a statement, according to KTLA television station. “Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a president, he added."

Tensions in Los Angeles have escalated since Friday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began workplace raids across the city. Protests broke out over the weekend, with demonstrators blocking freeways and setting cars on fire. On Monday, Trump ordered the federalisation of 2,000 California National Guard troops and dispatched 700 Marines to the region, citing a need to maintain order. ICE later confirmed the Guard was helping with officer protection and transportation.Photos released on Tuesday showed National Guard troops accompanying immigration officers during arrests. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass imposed an overnight curfew in a one-square-mile downtown area, citing the looting of 23 businesses. “We reached a tipping point,” she said during a press conference. The curfew will remain in effect from 8 pm Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday.Trump has described protesters as “animals” and “a foreign enemy”.

Speaking at Fort Bragg, he said Los Angeles would have been “completely obliterated” without the Guard deployment.California’s Democratic lawmakers in Congress slammed the move as a “manufactured crisis”. The Pentagon said the cost of deploying the troops stands at $134 million. Protesters continue to rally across the country in solidarity, with demonstrations reported in cities including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.