Charles Breyer determined that the troops' mobilization by the US president was unlawful
San Francisco-based US District Judge Charles Breyer has temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles over recent immigration-related protests, reported Reuters.
Breyer handed control of National Guard troops back to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had filed a suit to limit their activity. The order will be implemented at noon on June 13.
Trump had claimed that the National Guard's deployment was necessary to quell what he described as a rebellion. Breyer disagreed in his judgment.
"The court is troubled by the implication inherent in defendants' argument that protest against the federal government, a core civil liberty protected by the First Amendment, can justify a finding of rebellion," the judge wrote in his ruling, a snippet of which was published by Reuters.
Breyer opted not to decide on whether the troops should be prevented from involvement in arrest or patrolling communities, restricting the military's role to the protection of federal building and personnel; the judge said that the military was not clearly engaging in law enforcement activities. The judge also did not issue orders on Trump deploying US Marines to support the National Guard.
Nonetheless, Breyer indicated in his judgment that the president's use of the troops conflicted with California's police power and wrote that "restraining the president’s use of military force in Los Angeles is in the public interest." He said that the troops' presence was fueling tensions with protesters and hampering the National Guard's use to address matters like firefighting and drug smuggling.
The judge added that the deployment challenged the balance between federal and state governments, threatening other US states.
Hours before Breyer released his decision, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had vowed LA's liberation in a press conference that took a dramatic turn when Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla was pulled out of the room by federal agents, pushed to the ground, and handcuffed.
