In response to ICE raids in Los Angeles and community protests against them, Trump federalized 2,000 members of California's National Guard. This unprecedented action aimed at quelling dissent was announced on Fox News by border czar Tom Homan. Opponents, including California Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, condemned the move as unnecessary and a provocation. The federalization echoes historical instances but contrasts sharply with those intentions, highlighting a shift toward repression of civil rights rather than the expansion of democracy.
Even if there were, he continued, federal agencies could have simply requested mutual assistance from state and local law enforcement. Instead, they immediately reached for the nuclear option and federalized the National Guard.
California's National Guard was federalized briefly during the Rodney King riots, in 1992, but that was with the blessing of then-Governor Pete Wilson and occurred when large parts of the city were aflame.
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