As the street protests over his aggressive immigration policies plunge Los Angeles into unrest, US President Donald Trump's remarks on the arrest of California Governor Gavin Newsom have turned into a flashpoint.
Trump told reporters on Monday that "maybe Gavin Newsom should be arrested" after the Democratic governor dared Trump's border czar Tom Homan to do so. "I would do it if I were Tom," Trump said after landing back at the White House when asked about Newsom's dare. "I like Gavin Newsom ... he's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent."
Newsom expressed shock at the development. He wrote on X: "The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom wrote.
"This is a day I hoped I would never see in America," he continued. "I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
Newsom also said that they would file a lawsuit on Monday against Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the activation of the state's National Guard.
National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the U.S. military's reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force when activated for federal missions. Its deployment by the Federal Government is an extremely rare thing. Trump activated the National
Guard on Saturday after protests erupted in response to his administration's immigration raids in Southern California, that too without the Governor's authorisation.
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they will file a lawsuit today against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the activation of the state's National Guard. "The lawsuit will ask the court to declare the order unlawful because it exceeds the federal government’s authorities under the law and violates the Tenth Amendment," they added.
Marines to be deployed
In another development that can be called as inflammatory, the U military will temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles until more National Guard troops can arrive, according to reports. It is extremely rare for U.S. military troops to be used for domestic policing though they had earlier been activated for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
The Pentagon has also decided to double the contingent of National Guards from 2,000 to 4,000.
The fourth day of protests saw arrests and some property damage, including vehicles which were set ablaze by protesters.