The Trump administration doubled down on its decision to federalize U.S. military by activating about 2,000 additional National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area amid widespread immigration crackdowns and protests continue, the U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday.
The department said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the activation under Title 10, which allows the president to call the National Guard into federal service when the country is under invasion or rebellion, to support “the protection of federal functions, personnel, and property in the LA area,” according to the U.S. Northern Command.
The newly activated troops are from the 49th Military Police Brigade, which is stationed in Fairfield, Northern California. They are part of Task Force 51, made up of overall 4,100 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines.
“As with other units identified to support this mission, the brigade will not directly participate in civilian law enforcement activities,” the defense department said. “The activation of the 49th is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency.”
Governor Newsom’s office quickly condemned the announcement, saying the new activation is the second set of 2,000 federalized National Guard members under Trump’s June 9 order.
“This is clean up from the Pentagon. This isn’t a new deployment — it’s the same group of soldiers who have been diverted from critical wildfire work and work at the border, now twiddling their thumbs for Donald Trump’s political theater, the statement from the governor’s office said.
The announcement came just hours after a three-judge panel heard arguments over whether the Trump administration should return command of National Guard troops to California after thousands of them were activated in Los Angeles.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday seemed ready to keep President Donald Trump in control of California National Guard troops after they were deployed following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
Last week, a district court ordered Trump to return control of the guard to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had opposed their deployment. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump had deployed the Guard illegally and exceeded his authority. But the administration quickly appealed and a three-judge appellate panel temporarily paused that order.
Tuesday’s hearing was about whether the order could take effect while the case makes its way through the courts, including possibly the Supreme Court.
It’s the first time the president has activated a state National Guard without the governor’s permission since 1965, and the outcome of the case could have sweeping implications for Trump’s power to send soldiers into other American cities. Trump announced June 7 that he was deploying the Guard to Los Angeles to protect federal property following a protest at a downtown detention center after federal immigration agents arrested dozens of immigrants without legal status across the city. Newsom said the president was only inflaming the situation and that troops were not necessary.
