Displaying items by tag: National Guard

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has condemned Donald Trump’s uninvited deployment of the National Guard to quell unrest in Los Angeles, calling it an illegal escalation and ‘brazen abuse of power’. The unrest followed protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting illegal immigrants. Newsom argued that California could have managed the protests without federal intervention and accused Trump of using force theatrically, inflaming tensions. He warned that such actions threaten democracy nationwide. Newsom also criticised the Trump administration’s indiscriminate deportations, which target hardworking immigrant families and foster fear. ‘Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting the vulnerable but do not stop there,’ he cautioned. Linking Trump’s actions to broader attacks on American institutions, from the judiciary to the press, he called for peaceful resistance. Urging citizens to reject fear and silence, Newsom ended with a call to defend constitutional freedoms.