The dominant story over the weekend has been actions taken by the Trump administration in response to what, at least initially, were relatively benign protests in different parts of L.A. at ICE facilities.
On Saturday Trump announced that he would be calling up 2,000 California National Guard troops to protect federal agents and buildings, notwithstanding that Governor Newsom had not requested that the National Guard get involved. Trump’s authority to take this action comes from a statutory provision allowing the President to call up the National Guard whenever “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
From the Editorial Board of the New York Times, in today’s paper, under the headline “Trump Calling Troops Into Los Angeles is the Real Emergency”:
“The National Guard is typically brought into American cities during emergencies such as natural disasters and civil disturbances or to provide support during public health crises — when local authorities require additional resources or manpower. There was no indication that was needed or wanted in Los Angeles this weekend, where local law enforcement had kept protests over federal immigration raids, for the most part, under control. Guard members also almost always arrive at the request of state leaders, but in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment of troops “purposefully inflammatory” and likely to escalate tensions. It had been more than 60 years since a president sent in the National Guard on his own volition. Which made President Trump’s order on Saturday to do so both ahistoric and based on false pretenses and is already creating the very chaos it was purportedly designed to prevent.”
Also from the NYT’s opinion pages today is David French, who as a reminder was considered in 2016 by “Never Trump” Republican forces as a potential independent Presidential candidate, in a piece titled “America Is No Longer A Stable Country”:
“It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the Trump administration is spoiling for a fight on America’s streets. On Saturday, after a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests degenerated into violence, the administration reacted as if the country were on the brink of war. The violence was unacceptable. Civil disobedience is honorable; violence is beyond the pale. But so far, thankfully, the violence has been localized and, crucially, well within the capacity of state and city officials to manage. But don’t tell that to the Trump administration. Its language was out of control. … The administration’s language was extreme. Its actions, so far, have been more limited. But that’s small comfort. The potential next step is plain to see. If the administration (in its sole discretion) believes that this first, limited deployment is insufficient, then it will escalate. It will shout “Insurrection!” and “Migrant invasion!” to justify more military control and perhaps the invocation of the Insurrection Act.”
And a few minutes ago I saw a chyron on the TV saying that several hundred Marines are being deployed to L.A. Which would appear to indicate that Trump is about to assert authority under the Insurrection Act.
In the midst of all this, California AG Rob Bonta has announced California will sue the U.S. over its nationalization of California’s National Guard; and Trump was quoted in a press availability as supportive of the concept of arresting Governor Newsom. Fun times.