HISTORIC: Trump Federalizes California National Guard as Violent Leftist Mobs Lay Siege to ICE Agents — Bypassing Democrat Governor
After weeks of escalating leftist violence against federal immigration agents that culminated in over 1,000 rioters laying siege to federal buildings and assaulting ICE officers, President Trump took the extraordinary step of federalizing 2,000 California National Guard troops, marking the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s consent.
Using rarely invoked federal powers under 10 U.S.C. 12406, Trump bypassed the authority of California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom after violent mobs launched coordinated attacks on ICE agents and laid siege to federal buildings across the state.
The president’s directive cites a specific provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code that allows federal deployment of National Guard forces when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
Trump’s order states that “to the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon was “mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY” and revealed that active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton, about 100 miles south of Los Angeles, were “on high alert” and could also be mobilized.
Trump’s directive specifically authorized Hegseth to “employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property,” indicating the administration is prepared to use whatever force necessary to restore federal authority.
The violent confrontations have spread beyond Los Angeles, with Minneapolis seeing protesters throw traffic cones and trash cans at federal law enforcement vehicles during an ICE operation at Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant.
The area, which was previously the site of violent riots following George Floyd’s death of a fentanyl overdose, again became a flashpoint as demonstrators physically obstructed federal vehicles and shouted at officers to “go home” and “quit their jobs.”
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez joined the violent protesters, declaring the federal operation “completely wrong” and criticizing local police for assisting ICE agents in their lawful duties.
In San Diego, ICE agents were forced to use smoke devices to disperse angry crowds who surrounded them during enforcement operations at local businesses.
Protesters shouted “shame” at federal agents who were executing lawfully issued criminal search warrants, creating dangerous conditions that interfered with legitimate law enforcement activities and put both officers and civilians at risk.
While violent mobs attack federal agents in the streets, California’s Democrat leadership has openly defied federal immigration law and encouraged resistance to enforcement efforts.
Governor Gavin Newsom immediately rebuked Trump’s National Guard federalization, claiming the move was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
Newsom’s opposition comes as California operates under sanctuary state laws that actively obstruct federal immigration enforcement and shield criminal aliens from deportation.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued inflammatory statements declaring that her city would “not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations” and attacking federal enforcement tactics as sowing “terror in our communities.”
The pattern of institutional defiance extends beyond California, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stating that Chicago police were not involved in ICE activities while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker publicly disagrees with federal immigration enforcement.
In New York, the NYPD issued contradictory guidance stating officers are “not permitted to assist in any manner with civil immigration enforcement” while claiming they will not “interfere with or impede” federal operations, creating confusion that undermines federal authority.
The Department of Homeland Security has documented extensive evidence of the violence, releasing body camera footage showing demonstrators assaulting federal agents, including what officials described as “body slamming a female ICE officer.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the escalating attacks, posting that “assaulting ICE enforcement officers, slashing tires, defacing buildings” by hundreds of protesters who had “surrounded and breached the first layer of a federal law enforcement building” represented violence that “must stop.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has emerged as a leading voice condemning both the violence and the institutional resistance enabling it.
Miller shared videos of the violent protests and called them an “insurrection,” directly attacking Los Angeles officials for “siding with invaders over citizens.”
After LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell declared his department would not participate in deportation efforts, Miller stated that such defiance would not be tolerated under federal law.
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