California didn’t need military intervention. In the wake of sweeping ICE raids across Los Angeles, which targeted immigrant communities and led to the arrest of dozens of undocumented individuals, large crowds gathered in protest. The demonstrations were forceful but overwhelmingly peaceful. Even the Los Angeles Police Department publicly stated that the situation was under control. Local and state leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, condemned the raids but called for calm. There was no request, nor need, for federal troops.
Despite this, the Trump administration acted unilaterally. Citing vague claims of “riots and lawlessness,” Trump federalized 2,000 National Guard troops under Title 10, stripping Governor Newsom of command and placing California’s Guard directly under presidential control. This is a highly unusual and provocative move, as it bypasses the consent of state leadership and circumvents the typical protocol where governors retain control unless the Insurrection Act is invoked. Trump’s move violate both the Tenth Amendment, which reserves key powers to the states, and the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
This wasn’t a response to emergency, it was a political show of force. By deploying the military to a state that neither requested nor needed it, the Trump administration intentionally inflamed tensions. It created a situation where troops, many of whom are California residents themselves, could be forced to confront civilians exercising their First Amendment rights. The ACLU and other civil rights groups condemned the move as an “inflammatory abuse of power,” warning that it places civilians and soldiers in danger and undermines the core democratic principle that the military should not police the American people.
What happened in California wasn’t just an overreaction, it was a warning sign. When a president sends troops into a state against its will, not to keep the peace but to provoke conflict, it crosses a constitutional line. It turns democracy into theater and uses the armed forces as props. That’s not public safety. That’s authoritarianism.
Source