Exploring Trump’s options for deploying the National Guard within the United States | The Trump Administration

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests, in opposition to the California governor, Gavin Newsom. There is some ambiguity in the laws surrounding the deployment of troops within the US. In general, federal military forces are not allowed to carry out civilian law enforcement duties against US citizens except during emergencies. The Incitement Act is the main legal mechanism a president can use to activate the military or National Guard during times of rebellion or unrest, however, Trump did not invoke this act on Saturday. Instead, he invoked a similar federal law that allows the president to federalize National Guard troops under certain circumstances. The laws surrounding whether the president can activate National Guard troops without the order of the state governor are not clear. According to Trump’s declaration, the National Guard troops will play a supporting role by protecting US immigration officers as they enforce the law, rather than performing law enforcement work. The deployment of troops has been done before, during the Civil Rights era and after the acquittal of white police officers who beat Rodney King in 1992. The role of the military in the US has been a concern as Trump has been willing to use the military on home soil.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/trump-national-guard