Sending Federal Law Enforcement To Quell California Is Both Legal And Necessary

  Curtis Hill

Deploying the National Guard is not an overreach but a measured response to a crisis that local leaders have failed to address.

California’s Democratic leaders, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, are sidestepping and deflecting blame for this week’s violence and rioting in Los Angeles. They claim that the Trump administration’s federalization of the National Guard lacks federal interest and violates the Constitution. That is not just misguided but dangerously dismissive of the federal government’s responsibility to enforce the law and protect its agents.

The reality is clear: the federal government has a compelling interest in deploying resources to California to support lawful immigration enforcement, and attempts to paint riotous behavior as “peaceful protest” or to vilify President Trump as the instigator of violence are a disservice to the truth.

Let’s start with the facts. Federal immigration agents, tasked with executing lawful warrants under the authority of the U.S. government, have come under attack in Los Angeles. Protesters have not merely voiced dissent — they have thrown concrete, bottles, and Molotov cocktails, set vehicles ablaze, and obstructed federal operations. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California reported over a dozen arrests for impeding federal agents, with 27 more detained for unlawful assembly and violent acts, including attacking police and destroying property. This is not the hallmark of peaceful protest; it is lawlessness that threatens public safety and undermines the sovereignty of federal law.

The federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law is indisputable. Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has plenary power over immigration, and the executive branch is charged with executing those laws. When federal agents face violence while carrying out their duties, the federal government has not only the right but the obligation to ensure their safety and the integrity of their mission.

The law explicitly authorizes the president to federalize the National Guard when state authorities fail to secure federal operations or when lawlessness obstructs federal law enforcement. California’s refusal to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations — coupled with Newsom’s condemnation of federal action as “chaotic” and “authoritarian” — creates a vacuum that necessitates federal intervention.

full story at https://thefederalist.com/2025/06/12/sending-the-feds-to-quell-california-is-both-legal-and-necessary/