Appeals court pauses judge’s ruling to return control of National Guard to CA

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter on June 17. In response to the ruling of the appeals court, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office referred to comments the governor made earlier in the day.”I’m confident in the rule of law. I’m confident in the Constitution of the United States. I’m confident in the wisdom and judgment of a very well-respected federal judge. And I’m confident, on the basis of the review of the 36 pages – absolutely it will stand,” Newsom had said.The ruling came only hours after a federal judge’s order was to take effect at noon Friday. Earlier Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority. The order applied only to the National Guard troops and not Marines who were also deployed to the LA protests. The judge said he would not rule on the Marines because they were not out on the streets yet.President Trump was using troops to help carry out intensified immigration raids.Gov. Newsom filed the lawsuit and a temporary restraining order to limit the role of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines that Trump sent to Los Angeles in response to protests over his immigration crackdown. The granted temporary restraining order was expected to go into effect at noon Friday, before the action from the appeals court.This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest. Previous coverage:Read the federal judge’s initial ruling here.In a press conference following the initial ruling, Newsom said the National Guard would be deployed to other areas in the state.”The National Guard will be redeployed to what they were doing before Donald Trump commandeered them. The National Guard will go back to border security, working on counter-drug enforcement and fentanyl enforcement,” he said. The National Guard would also go back to vegetation and forest management in preparation for California’s fire season, the governor noted.KCRA 3 reached out to the White House for comment.”The court’s order is unprecedented and puts our brave federal officials in danger,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly. “The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief. The President exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles. The Trump Administration will immediately appeal this abuse of power and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”Watch Gov. Newsom’s full press conference following the judge’s ruling below:Newsom has warned that the military intervention is part of a broader effort by Trump to overturn norms at the heart of the nation’s democracy. He also said that sending National Guard troops on the raids has further inflamed tensions in Los Angeles, where large and sometimes volatile protests have broken out since the crackdown began nearly a week ago.The Trump administration on Wednesday called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives.” In other developments Thursday, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed after he interrupted a Los Angeles news conference on immigration held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | California Sen. Alex Padilla forcibly removed from press conference with Homeland Security secretaryPadilla, a California Democrat, began shouting over Noem before he was removed from the room.Noem said Padilla did not ask for a meeting with her, and she criticized his interruption.“I think everybody in America would agree that that was inappropriate,” she said.Newsom blasted Padilla’s removal in a social media post.“This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control,” the governor said. “This must end now.”Demonstrations have picked up across the U.S., with protests emerging in more than a dozen major cities. On Wednesday, police in Seattle used pepper spray to clear out protesters, and officers in Denver used smoke and pepper balls to control a crowd.| MORE | Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since SaturdayPolice in riot gear — many on horseback — charged at a group of protesters Wednesday night in LA just before the start of the second night of the city’s downtown curfew. The officers struck some demonstrators with wooden rods and later fired crowd-control projectiles. After the curfew went into effect, a handful of arrests were made before the area cleared out.Military involvement escalates in LAThe Trump administration has rapidly expanded military to deployments to Los Angeles over the past week and has said it is willing to send troops to other cities to assist with immigration enforcement and controlling disturbances — in line with what Trump promised during last year’s campaign.Some 2,000 Guard soldiers are in the nation’s second-largest city and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more, along with about 700 Marines, said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who’s in charge of the operation.About 500 of the Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander said Wednesday. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement.While some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it’s too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down.“We are expecting a ramp-up,” Sherman said, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. “I’m focused right here in LA, what’s going on right here. But you know, I think we’re, we’re very concerned.”States face questions on deploying troopsWith more demonstrations expected over the weekend, and the possibility that Trump could send troops to other states for immigration enforcement, governors are weighing what to do.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has put 5,000 National Guard members on standby in cities where demonstrations are planned. In other Republican-controlled states, governors have not said when or how they’re planning to deploy troops for protests.A group of Democratic governors earlier this week signed a statement calling Trump’s deployments “an alarming abuse of power.”“Illinois follows the law. But let me be clear: We expect the federal government to follow the law too,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday during a Capitol Hill hearing on state immigration policies. “We will not participate in abuses of power.”Mayors plead for end to immigration crackdownDozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration end the stepped-up immigration raids and stop using military troops alongside agents.“I’m asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,” said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. “You need to stop these raids.”Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House and that the city’s nightly curfew would remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the sprawling city.“If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,” Bass said.Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids at car washes and home improvement stores include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court.Hundreds have been arrested in LA protestsLos Angeles police have made about 470 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department.There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injuries. Some were transported to a hospital and released.–KCRA’s Lindsay Weber contributed to this reportSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel