Trump's military deployment in LA to cost taxpayers $120M, Newsom says

Trump sending troops to LA to cost taxpayers $120M

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Trump administration's decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles costed the taxpayers $120 million.

LOS ANGELES - Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that President Donald Trump's move to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles during immigration raids and protests will cost taxpayers an estimated $120 million. 

By the numbers:

The deployment of more than 4,200 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines cost $71 million for food and other basic necessities, $37 million in payroll, more than $4 million in logistics supplies, $3.5 million in travel and $1.5 million in demobilization costs, which adds up to an estimated $118 million, according to the governor's office.

Currently, 300 National Guard members remain in LA. 

In August, Newsom's office filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting all documents and records associated with the expenses incurred to activate the U.S. Marines and federalize the National Guard from June 7. Newsom's office said the federal government has not yet responded to their request, but the California National Guard handed over their calculations at the governor's request. 

What they're saying:

"Let us not forget what this political theater is costing us all -- millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain, an atrophy to the readiness of guardsmembers across the nation and unnecessary hardships to the families supporting those troops. Talk about waste, fraud and abuse. We ask other states to do the math themselves," Newsom said in a statement. 

Newsom criticized the entire deployment, saying the process was rushed, leaving soldiers to sleep on the floor and use facilities with no functioning plumbing.

"While less than 20% of the troops deployed to Los Angeles were actually utilized, soldiers were pulled away from their essential civilian duties as first responders, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses and teachers. Guardsmembers were taken off of specialized assignments – like in California where they were taken off Taskforce Rattlesnake firefighting teams and the Counterdrug Task Force work at ports of entry along the border," Newsom's press release read. 

Judge: Trump illegally deployed Nat'l Guard to LA

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration's use of National Guard troops during Los Angeles' immigration enforcement protests was illegal.

The backstory:

On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled Trump's deployment was illegal. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer determined that the June deployment was in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars most uses of U.S. troops on U.S. soil. The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals.

RELATED: 

• Trump’s use of National Guard during LA immigration protests ruled illegal
• Trump criticizes California, defends National Guard deployment to LA

Breyer's ruling was based on an 1878 law that prevents federal troops from being used for regular law enforcement activities. The Trump administration has argued that the troops were there to protect federal officers and property and they were not performing local policing duties.

What's next:

Trump has said he wants to keep the remaining 300 troop members in Los Angeles through November. On Tuesday, California filed a request for a preliminary injunction to block the administration's order to extend the National Guard's deployment through Election Day.