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Green light for the National Guard in Los Angeles: the Court of Appeals upholds Trump’s appeal

Judge Breyer’s decision overturned: the administration will be able to keep the military in Californian cities during raids against migrants. Tensions yesterday with the arrest of Senator Padilla

The Federal Court of Appeals has upheld the Trump administration’s appeal against the ruling prohibiting the use of the National Guard in California, authorising the continuation of military deployment in cities where operations against migrants are taking place. The judges suspended the decision of Federal Judge Charles Breyer, who in recent days had ruled that the federal action was unlawful, accusing the president of violating the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the autonomy of the states.

Thanks to the new ruling, Donald Trump will be able to keep troops on the ground at least until the next hearing, set for Tuesday, while the raids ordered by the Department of Homeland Security continue. The official goal remains the arrest of illegal migrants, but the operation has sparked bipartisan controversy over the methods used.

Tensions escalated further yesterday, Thursday 12 June, when California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed and dragged away by federal agents during a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles. Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, had asked to speak to ask a question about the ongoing operation. According to the administration’s account, the agents did not recognise him and mistook him for a protester.

Padilla, however, claimed that he had been clearly identified and that only the intervention of Corey Lewandowski, a close associate of Noem, had allowed him to be released. The senator then had a meeting with the secretary that lasted about 15 minutes. The incident, captured on video by a Fox News reporter, fuelled further criticism of the operation and the use of force by federal agents.

This is yet another incident related to the raids: in recent days, the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, and New Jersey Congresswoman LaMonica McIver were also involved in similar incidents related to migrant detention centres.

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