USA: Why Trump is deploying soldiers in California

US President Donald Trump plans to use military security forces to combat protests against US immigration officials in the state of California . Against the express wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom, Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to bring the situation under control.

How has the situation developed? The most important questions and answers:

The protests erupted on Friday. They were directed against U.S. immigration enforcement officers, who were arresting undocumented migrants for deportation—the White House called them "normal deportation operations." Security forces confronted the demonstrators in full gear, carrying shields and helmets, and also used tear gas. According to local media reports, rubber bullets were also used.

Some demonstrators threw stones at security forces, among other things. The US Department of Homeland Security, which is under Trump's control, spoke of a massive escalation. According to the department, around 1,000 demonstrators attacked ICE officers on Friday. The department criticized the local police for only intervening after two hours. Over the course of the week, 118 foreign nationals without legal residency status were arrested in Los Angeles , including gang members and those with criminal records.

Mayor Karen Bass and the local police distanced themselves from the ICE operations. They intend, as usual, not to cooperate with the federal agency in their jurisdiction to facilitate normal deportations. This is the behavior of many Democratic-controlled municipalities in the US – whereas Republicans want to implement the mass deportations announced by Trump.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the troops were intended to put an end to the "lawlessness" in the Los Angeles area. As Commander-in-Chief, Trump would ensure that the laws of the United States were enforced. The official announcement stated that the National Guard would be deployed for 60 days or as long as the Secretary of Defense deems necessary.

Gavin Newsom declared that with this move, the Republican administration was deliberately inflaming the situation and tacitly accepting further escalation. Such a deployment is not the responsibility of the state National Guard "and will undermine public confidence," the Democrat warned. There is no shortage of security forces; the federal government simply wants to stage "a spectacle." He appealed to the demonstrators to remain peaceful and not provide the government with an excuse.

The Pentagon chief announced that, if necessary, Marines stationed in California could also be mobilized. "They are on high alert," he wrote on the X platform. Governor Newsom reacted with horror: The Secretary of Defense was threatening to use soldiers "on American soil against our own citizens," he wrote on X. "This is insane behavior."

Immediately before the White House statement, Trump had already issued a threat: If Governor Newsom and the mayor of Los Angeles didn't do their jobs properly, the government would step in and solve the problem of "riots and looters." Instead of using the governor's correct last name, Trump referred to him in his post on the Truth Social platform as "Newscum"—a play on the English term "scum."

The vilification of the Democratic governor also points to the political dimension of the case: Newsom is not only one of the most prominent Democrats, he is also considered a possible candidate for his party's presidential nomination in the 2028 election. And: Newsom governs an enormously strong economic state with almost 40 million inhabitants – that's more than a tenth of the US population.

The National Guard is a military reserve unit and part of the U.S. Armed Forces. Each state has its own National Guard, which can be deployed in the event of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, or domestic unrest. It is then under the command of the respective governor. In the event of war or a national emergency, the U.S. President can assume command. In total, the U.S. has more than 325,000 National Guardsmen.

The deployment of the National Guard on the President's orders against the will of the state represents an escalation. Mobilizing the regular military within the country—as threatened by Hegseth—would further escalate the spiral of escalation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi warned on X that anyone who obstructed or attacked security forces could face prosecution. FBI Director Kash Patel also threatened to deploy his agents. Trump's deputy chief of staff, the hardliner Stephen Miller, even spoke of a "violent insurrection" against state authority. He welcomed the deployment of the National Guard and wrote on X: "We will take America back."

One of California's two U.S. senators, Adam Schiff, called the deployment of the National Guard against the governor's wishes "unprecedented." He argued that it was intended to create chaos and escalate the situation. He called for an end to the violence—there is nothing "President Trump would want more than violent clashes with protesters" to justify the use of the military or some form of martial law, Schiff warned on X.