Newsom accuses Trump of federal overreach, racial profiling with ICE raids, Nat'l Guard deployment
Newsom blast Trump's ICE raids targeting California
Governor Gavin Newsom blasted President Donald Trump's handling of the National Guard being stationed in California.
LOS ANGELES - Governor Gavin Newsom calls the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles "unnecessary" and "a waste of resources." His remarks come as President Trump pulls 2,000 of the roughly 4,000 Guard members stationed in DTLA. Newsom said it’s time for all National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to return to their regular duties and their lives.
"End this theater once and for all… this cruelty. It's about terrorizing communities. It's about appearing tough. I've said it, and I'll repeat it: weakness masquerading as strength," Newsom said in a message directed at President Trump.
Newsom criticized what he described as federal overreach that’s disrupting California families and small businesses. He did so outside of the Downey Memorial Christian Church, the same location where ICE agents arrested a man in the parking lot just over a month ago. The governor accuses the Trump administration of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on a deployment that, he says, served no real purpose.
"Look, you recall, we had close to 1,600 officers at certain points, at the peak in a couple blocks in Los Angeles. CHP officers and LAPD were protecting the National Guard. Not the other way around. That’s how absurd this whole thing has become," said Newsom.
Despite his objections, the governor says he expects the administration to continue deploying the National Guard to other U.S. cities, warning this is just the beginning.
"If you think this is about California, you’re fooling yourself. These are operations you’re going to see all across the United States. They’ve tested the boundaries of the law."
According to Newsom, only about 5% of the 5,000 Guard members were ever given actual assignments. The rest, he said, were essentially "sitting around with nothing to do."
Before meeting with reporters, Newsom visited local businesses in Downey and nearby Bell, communities he says have been directly impacted by the recent immigration raids. He described a climate of fear, where even legal residents are afraid to go out, devastating small businesses.
"I met a woman, a legal resident, who told me she carries her passport everywhere, just in case she’s stopped or questioned," he said.
Newsom blamed racial profiling by federal agents for discouraging people from leaving their homes. He says that is contributing to an economic downturn in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.