A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles and ordered the troops be returned to the state governor's control.
In June, Trump sent thousands of National Guard troops to the California city in the wake of protests over his administration ramping up immigration raids in Los Angeles.
US District Judge Charles Breyer said the Trump administration had not proven that the city's protests against immigration justified taking federal control of the state's National Guard.
Breyer also denied the Trump administration's argument that the courts should not weigh in on a president taking control of state National Guard troops during an emergency.
The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances, Judge Breyer wrote in his ruling. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.
The ruling is significant as it follows a trend of legal challenges to such deployments, which have been contested in various cities across the U.S. Governor Gavin Newsom initially sued over the deployment, arguing the protests had subsided and the troops were no longer necessary.
Judge Breyer indicated that he would delay the order until December 15, allowing time for the Trump administration to appeal. This episode underscores ongoing national debates surrounding immigration enforcement and the appropriate role of military forces in U.S. cities.
