In June, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids, an action that ended up costing taxpayers approximately $120 million, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. Initially mobilizing 2,000 National Guard troops into the city during confrontations between federal immigration agents and demonstrators, this number swelled to over 4,200 soldiers and 700 marines. Despite the vast numbers, only a fraction participated directly in the raids. The expenditure for such operations was significant: $71 million for necessities like food and lodging, $37 million in troop pay, and $3.5 million for travel, among other costs.
As of the current status, around 300 troops are still stationed in the city. Governor Newsom has vehemently criticized this deployment, labeling it as “waste, fraud, and abuse,” and highlighting the financial toll and the impact on the readiness of National Guard members nationwide. In opposition, Newsom filed a lawsuit in June, calling the move unprecedented, unlawful, and emblematic of a shift towards authoritarianism. The lawsuit was not the only legal challenge; in early September, Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s deployment breached federal law, indicating that the action created an unconstitutional “national police force.”
Furthermore, the judge criticized Trump’s threats to send National Guard troops to other Democratic-run cities across the US, suggesting it was an attempt to establish the president as the head of this force. In reaction to a public records request from Newsom’s office aimed at uncovering the costs of federalizing the National Guard and activating marines, the federal government did not respond. Meanwhile, the operational particulars and the distress caused to soldiers — including substandard living conditions during their deployment — underscore the broader implications of such actions.
This action is part of a larger trend with Trump considering further deployments in cities such as Washington DC, Chicago, and New York, intensifying concerns over the militarization of civic spaces and the associated costs and consequences.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/04/trump-national-guard-deployment-los-angeles
