ICE protests: Newsom seeks restraining order to block military deployment

Gov. Newsom says Trump's military deployment is illegal
Governor Newsom vows to fight Trump military deployment in court, saying the President overstepped his authority by sending troops to Los Angeles.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of National Guard soldiers and Marines to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles.
Newsom had asked U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer to grant the order by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, which did not happen. Instead, Breyer set a hearing date for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday to take up the request.
"The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens. Sending trained war fighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy," Newsom said in a statement. "Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President."
Newsom's address
Newsom addressed Californians on Tuesday evening, saying that Trump is "pulling a military dragnet" across Los Angeles.
The governor said that the deployment was done against his wishes, and without consulting Los Angeles law enforcement officials who, Newsom said, already had the protests under control.
"This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation...putting our people, our officers, and the National Guard at risk," Newsom said. "Today, we sought an emergency court order to stop the use of the American military to engage in law enforcement activities across Los Angeles."
His remarks came after the president ordered the deployment of nearly 5,000 troops to the city. They were deployed to protect federal buildings but are now also protecting immigration agents as they carry out arrests.

LA curfew put in place for downtown following nighttime violence
Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting."
The emergency motion filed Tuesday builds on a lawsuit the state submitted Monday against the Trump administration. The suit alleges the president violated federal law and state sovereignty by deploying the military without the governor’s consent or input, which is typically required.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that, under the state constitution, Newsom serves as commander-in-chief of the California National Guard.
Trump defended the move in a social media post, claiming the city would have been "completely obliterated" if he had not sent Guard members. He doubled down on his stance during a speech to troops at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, where he vowed to "liberate" Los Angeles. Trump also called the protesters "animals" and a "foreign enemy."
This appears to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard has been activated without a request from its governor.
Photos posted Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests.
ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers "who are out on daily enforcement operations." The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.
Newsom said Trump’s immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals and that "dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses" are among those being detained.
He said Trump’s decision to deploy the California National Guard without his support should be a warning to other states.
"California may be first — but it clearly won’t end here," Newsom said.
When did LA immigration protests start?
The anti-ICE operation protests in Los Angeles were sparked by Trump’s immigration crackdown in the area. They started Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount and neighboring Compton.
Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA’s fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot.
Demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles by hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.
Though the protests were mostly peaceful, some incidents led to cars being destroyed in flames and visible clashes between some violent individuals and law enforcement officers.
The week-long tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many have also been arrested while protesting.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday evening announced a curfew for a very small section of the city that began at 8 p.m and ends at 6 a.m. The mayor said the curfew will be in place for several days and covers areas between Interstate 5 and Interstate 110, and from Interstate 10 where the highway and Interstate 5 merge.

A map showing the areas where Los Angeles city officials enacted a curfew on Tuesday evening.
What’s happening elsewhere?
Local perspective:
Protests over immigration raids are happening in major cities throughout the country, including in San Francisco where several buildings were defaced with graffiti.
However, police said overall, they had no problem with the large demonstration, which started Monday night at the 24th Street BART Station.
It was a small splinter group that split off from the larger demonstration that started vandalizing and damaging businesses in the Mission and along Market Street near Civic Center.
Officers made an unknown number of arrests, following the 150 arrests they made on Sunday night.
Is it legal?
"If we didn’t send in the National Guard, and a little additional help, you would have…Los Angeles would be burning right now," President Trump said.
Newsom and Mayor Bass said the military response was unnecessary. Trump did it anyway. But is it legal?
Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said the law does limit military actions in domestic incidents.
"The Posse Comitatus Act, which says that the military cannot act like a domestic law enforcement agency, that they cannot go in and enforce the law on U.S. soil," Levinson said.
Levinson says, however, President Trump is using a presidential power that might be difficult for Newsom to challenge in court.
"He's using his quote Title X power. And what does that allow? It allows the National Guard to only function in a support role," Levinson said. "You can't be the one executing warrants... but you can support federal agents and support federal property."
What's next:
The hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 12.
The Source: Office of California Governor Gaivn Newsom, the Associated Press, previous reporting, interview with Jessica Levinson.