Twenty-two Democratic governors on Sunday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell the latest demonstrations against immigration raids.
"President Trump's move to deploy California's National Guard is an alarming abuse of power," said a joint statement released by the Democratic Governors Association.
The condemnation followed Trump's announcement on Saturday to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles after a second day of clashes between demonstrators and federal immigration agents in riot gear.
Around 300 of the California National Guard soldiers arrived in Los Angeles early on Sunday. "Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a state's governor is ineffective and dangerous," said the statement.
The statement was jointly released by Governor of New York State Kathy Hochul, Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, and Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, among others.
The governors voiced their concerns over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent statement in a post on X, in which he mentioned the potential deployment of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.
"Threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement," said the statement.
They also expressed solidarity with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who said Trump's move would worsen the already tense situation.
"We stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation," said the statement.
The mass demonstrations and ensuring clashes in Los Angeles came after agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies raided several locations in southern California on Friday.
22 Democratic governors condemn Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles
22 Democratic governors condemn Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles
22 Democratic governors condemn Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles
