Ferguson, 21 Democratic govs decry Trump’s ‘alarming’ use of CA National Guard
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Democratic governors condemned Trump’s National Guard deployment as federal overreach.
- CA Gov. Newsom opposed the move, asking Trump to revoke the "unlawful" deployment.
- Republicans defended Trump’s actions as legal and necessary for public safety.
A coalition of Democratic governors — including Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson — has condemned President Donald Trump’s deployment of California’s National Guard as “an alarming abuse of power.”
National Guard troops were sent to the Los Angeles streets Sunday following two days of protests against Trump’s immigration enforcement and raids. The president said the demonstrations inhibited federal law enforcement and framed them as a potential “form of rebellion” against the U.S. government’s authority.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, has asked the federal administration to revoke its “unlawful” deployment of troops.
The statement issued Sunday by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) noted that the state leaders stand with Newsom, who’s made clear that local authorities should be able to carry out their work free from federal intimidation and interference.
“President Trump’s move to deploy California’s National Guard is an alarming abuse of power,” DGA’s statement said. “Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a state’s governor is ineffective and dangerous.”
DGA’s statement also said that threats to deploy U.S. Marines into neighborhoods undermines public trust and indicates that the federal administration doesn’t trust local law enforcement.
Newsom has said he intends to sue Trump’s administration for deploying the troops without his state’s consent.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson blasted Newsom’s leadership and blamed him for “the violent riots and attacks on federal law enforcement.”
“After Gavin Newsom failed to stop the violence, President Trump rightfully stepped in to protect American citizens and restore law and order,” she said in a statement to McClatchy.
Asked for response, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office referred McClatchy to the Democrat’s recent remarks about Trump’s “authoritarian tendencies.”
“This about command and control. This is about power. This about ego,” Newsom said, speaking to an MSNBC reporter. “This is a consistent pattern .... This guy has abandoned the core principles of this great democracy. He’s threatening to go after judges he disagrees with, cut off funding to institutions of higher learning ... He’s rewriting history and censoring historical facts.”
Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to squelch Los Angeles’ immigration protests — without consent from the governor — is a move without much historic precedent. It last happened in 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson ordered troops to safeguard civil rights demonstrators.
At least 44 people were arrested by federal immigration authorities Friday, sparking the Los Angeles protests. Law enforcement attempted to disperse crowds with tear gas and flash-bang grenades.
At least three officers suffered injuries as the unrest ramped up Sunday, according to the NBC affiliate KCRA. Dozens of arrests were made amid the tumult.
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said in a statement Monday that Trump is weaponizing troops against immigrants and U.S. citizens alike, and that he’s threatened to use force against peaceful protesters.
“This isn’t just an attack on immigrants, it is an attack on our foundational freedoms,” she said. “Detained people must be provided with access to counsel, and the militarized raids by the federal government must stop immediately.”
That Ferguson’s name appeared on DGA’s statement drew heat from the Washington state Republican Party (WAGOP). A WAGOP news release sent Monday morning defended Trump’s activation of National Guard units as necessary to return civil order to California.
WAGOP also referenced House Bill 1321, a new state law that gives the governor authority to restrict other states’ National Guard troops from coming into the state, unless the president has mobilized them.
The state Republican Party says the law wouldn’t inhibit Trump’s ability to send such units if similar violence or riots were to erupt in Washington.
“President Trump is acting lawfully to prevent the spread of lawlessness,” WAGOP’s statement says. “The current Washington governor should show better discernment before adding his name to an eccentric ‘statement’ that makes silly claims about a proper defense of civil order and the Rule of Law.”
Ferguson’s office did not immediately return McClatchy’s request for comment.
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