US court to hear California Governor’s challenge against Donald Trump’s troop deployment for LA immigration raids

A US federal court is set to hold a hearing on Thursday to determine if President Donald Trump's administration can deploy National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reported.

In a recent move, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his heightened enforcement of immigration laws.

“Unnecessary and intimidating,” says the opposition

California Governor Gavin Newsom argued that the federal military intervention in the nation's second-largest city is the beginning of a much broader plan by Donald Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation’s democracy. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has echoed these concerns, saying the deployment of troops was unnecessary and designed to undermine local jurisdictions and intimidate the city’s large immigrant population, reported AP.

AP reported that Newsom filed an emergency motion requesting the court intervene in President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach to protests.

Donald Trump administration calls the lawsuit a “Crass political stunt”

AP reported that the Trump administration called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives” in its official response on Wednesday.

The Democratic governor argued the troops were originally deployed to protect federal buildings and said sending troops to help support immigration raids would only promote civil unrest.

Protests escalate amidst immigration crackdown

The protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles heated up after Trump called up the National Guard and have since spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Seattle.

AP reported that Federal immigration agents have been conducting arrests in public areas such as the Home Depot parking lots and other businesses, leading to a widespread fear in immigrant communities, especially after the Trump administration said it wanted to dramatically increase arrests under its immigration crackdown.

AP reported that Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth.

Limited military engagement as a court hearing is due

While most demonstrations have been peaceful, this weekend's protests in downtown Los Angeles turned violent, with cars being set on fire. The city has imposed a nightly curfew covering a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometre) section where protests have occurred in the sprawling metropolis of 4 million people, said AP.

The Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters.

Political figures disapprove of Trump’s move

Newsom filed the motion on Tuesday, the same day the military announced that some National Guard members were now positioned to protect federal agents. This change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations, as Trump has promised as part of his administration’s immigration crackdown. The Guard can temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement, AP reported.

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer chose not to rule immediately but set the hearing for Thursday in federal court in San Francisco.

Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the raids stop and the troops leave.