Donald Trump.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Los Angeles: President Donald Trump said on Monday he would support the arrest of California's Gavin Newsom, in a dramatic escalation of a growing conflict with the Democratic governor over immigration protests that roiled Los Angeles over the weekend.
The Republican president's remarks came after Newsom vowed to sue the federal government over the deployment of National Guard troops to Southern California, calling it an illegal act.
As Los Angeles faced a fourth day of protests over immigration raids in the city, Democrats and Republicans clashed over what has become the biggest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally.
"This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard," Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, said on X.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a release that his office had sued. Reuters could not immediately confirm that a lawsuit had been filed.
Federal law allows the president to deploy the Guard if the nation is invaded, if there is “rebellion or danger of rebellion,” or the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
Returning to the White House after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor.
"I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great," Trump replied. "Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing."
Newsom on X called the arrest threat an "unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
The streets in Democratic-led Los Angeles were calm early on Monday after protests erupted on Friday night. ICE agents had arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations.
The sometimes-violent demonstrations continued over the weekend, leading Trump to order deployment of the National Guard without first consulting the governor, a highly unusual move. The White House and congressional Republicans contended the protests were a further reason for Republicans in Congress to pass Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” that would increase border security and military spending.
The bill, now in the U.S. Senate after clearing the U.S. House of Representatives, would also slash taxes, cut Medicaid benefits and do away with green-energy initiatives.
“We need the One Big, Beautiful Bill to pass ASAP!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson echoed her comments, posting on X: "The lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY."
Fiscal conservatives in the Senate, along with former Trump adviser Elon Musk, have balked at the bill's cost, saying it will inflate the nation's budget deficit.
On guard
US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. The Department of Homeland Security said the Guard's mission was to protect federal buildings. On Monday, law enforcement officers stood at intersections surrounding the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, which houses the detention facility where many detained immigrants were sent after ICE actions in Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Some National Guard troops stood at the vehicle entrance to the detention center. Anti-ICE graffiti covered walls and windows of the federal building and teams worked to cover the slogans with paint.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near Los Angeles City Hall for a rally in support of detained union leader David Huerta. They waved placards calling for Huerta’s release and chanted in Spanish “we are all David Huerta.”
Clash raises Newsom's profile
Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
For Democrats, lacking leadership since Trump won the presidential election last November, the Los Angeles protests have served as a rallying point, allowing them to find some political footing while standing up to the administration's policies.
The episode has provided Newsom, serving his second term as governor, with a national platform that has allowed him to portray himself as Trump's chief antagonist.
But it has also underscored the risks of appearing too sympathetic to protesters, some of whom have set cars on fire and thrown bottles at police. During his first term, Trump castigated Democrats for civil unrest during riots protesting the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in 2020. In one demonstration of that delicate balancing act, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the Guard, while also condemning protesters.
"I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily," Bass told a press conference on Sunday.
Trump accused Newsom and Bass of playing down the violence.
"We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California," he posted on social media on Monday. "If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also tried to defuse the situation after protesters over the weekend were seen carrying Mexican flags and denouncing Trump's policies.
"We call on the Mexican community to act peacefully and not fall for provocations," Sheinbaum said at her daily press conference. She did not specifically call for an end to the protests.