California Attorney General Rob Bonta says the state’s sovereignty has been “trampled” by US President Donald Trump when he ordered National Guard troops to the immigration protests in Los Angeles.
Bonta spoke on Monday as he announced plans to sue Trump’s administration.
He said the state will seek a court order declaring that Trump’s use of the Guard was unlawful and ask for a restraining order to halt the deployment.
Bonta said the suit will be filed later on Monday.
Earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he planned to file a lawsuit against Trump.
“Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral,” Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC on Sunday.
The streets of the sprawling city of four million people were quiet on Monday morning but the smell of smoke hung in the air downtown, one day after crowds blocked off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The law enforcement presence was heavy, with police cars blocking the street in front of the federal detention facility that was a focus of the protests.
While much of the city was spared from any violence, clashes swept through several downtown blocks and a handful of other places.
It could take days to clear the debris from burned cars and to clean off or paint over graffiti sprayed on City Hall and other buildings near the detention facility.
Sunday was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of about 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.
US officials said about 1000 National Guard members were in the city under federal orders by midday on Monday.
The full 2000 members authorised by the president were expected to be on the ground by the end of the day.
Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and arresting those who refuse to leave.
Some of those who stayed threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier.
Others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway.
Officers ran under an overpass to take cover at one point.
Trump said on Monday that the city would have been “completely obliterated” if he had not deployed the Guard.
Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, the president accused Newsom and the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, of lying by saying Guard troops were not necessary.
The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention centre where protesters concentrated.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters.
He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend.
One was detained on Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.
https://thewest.com.au/politics/trump-trampled-sovereignty-on-guard-california-ag-c-18979330
