Judge rules Trump’s Los Angeles troop deployment violated federal law

A federal judge ruled Sept. 2 that President Donald Trump violated federal law when he deployed military forces to Los Angeles in June to quell riots over immigration enforcement.

In a 52-page ruling, US District Judge Charles Breyer, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed for San Francisco, accused Trump of “creating a national police force with the President as its chief.” 

Breyer said Trump’s order breached the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which generally bars the military from engaging in state or local law enforcement without congressional approval. 

Although most troops have left Los Angeles, the ruling bars any remaining ones from “engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants,” unless Congress authorizes it.

Breyer stayed his decision until Sept. 12, which gives the administration time to appeal. The ruling applies only to California.

As CatholicVote reported June 9, Trump ordered thousands of National Guard troops into Los Angeles to control violence over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations. California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly sued the administration, accusing Trump of “overstepping his authority” in a June 9 statement.

In the Sept. 2 ruling, Breyer wrote: “There were indeed protests in Los Angeles, and some individuals engaged in violence. Yet there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law.” 

Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli pushed back in a statement posted to X and insisted federal forces will stay in the city. 

“The military has never engaged in direct law enforcement operations here in LA,” he wrote. “They protect our federal employees our properties so our federal agents can safely enforce federal laws in the face of the thugs being unleashed and encouraged by state and local politicians.”

Newsom hailed Breyer’s ruling as a win in a press statement shared by Breitbart. The governor claimed there is “no rampant lawlessness in California.”

“[A]nd in fact, crime rates are higher in Republican-led states [sic],” Newsom continued. “Trump’s attempt to use federal troops as his personal police force is illegal, authoritarian, and must be stopped in every courtroom across this country.”

According to Breitbart, Newsom has repeatedly made similar claims, saying the nation has a “red state murder problem” in 2022. But the outlet noted the statistics Newsom referenced in 2022 came from a CBS report on the cities with the highest murder rates, most of which are governed by Democrats.

The decision follows a June clash in which Breyer tried to return California National Guard units to state control through an emergency order, which the Ninth Circuit quickly reversed, according to FOX News. FOX reported that the same court is now expected to weigh in on Breyer’s Sept. 2 ruling.