The White House defended President Donald Trump's authority to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles Wednesday after a federal judge ordered the administration to halt the mission and return control of the troops to California.
"President Trump exercised his lawful authority to deploy National Guard troops to support federal officers and assets following violent riots that local leaders like Newscum refused to stop," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement obtained by reporter Eytan Wallace. "We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
Her comments came hours after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Trump administration must stop using California National Guard troops in Los Angeles without the state's consent.
Breyer granted California's request for a preliminary injunction against the federal takeover but put the ruling on hold until Monday to allow time for further action from the administration.
California officials argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first assumed command of the Guard in June during protests over his intensified immigration enforcement strategy.
The administration initially deployed more than 4,000 Guard members, though the number had dwindled to several hundred by late October, with roughly 100 still assigned to the area.
Trump's team had extended the deployment until February and simultaneously sought to use California Guard troops in Portland, Oregon, as part of a broader push to send military forces into Democrat-led cities over the objections of state and local leaders.
Justice Department lawyers insisted Guard members were still needed in Los Angeles to help protect federal personnel and property.
Trump's decision marked the first time in decades that a president activated a state's National Guard without a governor's request, escalating his efforts to carry out mass deportations and enhance federal immigration operations.
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