Trump suggests arresting California governor who vows to sue over National Guard deployment

California officials blamed President Donald Trump on Monday for inflaming an already tense situation in Los Angeles by sending in National Guard troops, while the White House argued the sometimes violent demonstrations justified ramping up deportation efforts even further.

Trump even suggested that California Governor Gavin Newsom be arrested.

As the city faced a fourth day of protests over Trump’s immigration policies, Democrats and Republicans clashed over what has become the biggest flashpoint in the Republican administration’s aggressive efforts to deport migrants who are in the country illegally.

Police officers take cover as activists shower rocks and debris on to their vehicles during protests in LA on 8 June. (Photo: Allison Dinner / EPA-EFE)

Police officers move to clear activists from a makeshift barricade during immigration raid protests near the Edward R Roybal Federal Building in LA on 8 June. (Photo: Caroline Brehman / EPA-EFE)

Earlier in the day, Newsom, viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, vowed to sue the federal government over its deployment of the National Guard, calling it unlawful.

“This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” Newsom posted on X on Monday. “We’re suing him.”

Federal law allows the president to deploy the National Guard if the nation is invaded, if there is “rebellion or danger of rebellion”, or if the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States”.

An activist is arrested during near the Edward R Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles on 8 June. (Photo: Caroline Brehman / EPA-EFE)

Returning to the White House after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor.

“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” replied Trump. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”

The streets were calm early on Monday after protests erupted on Friday when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeted several locations in the city for sweeps as part of the administration’s efforts to arrest migrants. The demonstrations continued over the weekend, resulting in a large police response.

The White House contended the protests were a further reason for Republicans in Congress to pass Trump’s “one big beautiful Bill” that would increase border security and military spending.

The Bill, now in the Senate after clearing the House of Representatives, would also slash taxes, cut Medicaid benefits and do away with green-energy initiatives.

“We need the One Big, Beautiful Bill to pass ASAP!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.

Fiscal conservatives in the Senate, along with former Trump adviser Elon Musk, have baulked at the Bill’s cost, saying it will inflate the nation’s budget deficit.

Activists shield themselves during protests in Los Angeles on 8 June. (Photo: Allison Dinner / EPA-EFE)

Clash raises Newsom’s profile

Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.

For Democrats, lacking leadership since Trump won the presidential election last November, the Los Angeles protests have served as a rallying point, allowing them to find some political footing while standing up to the administration's policies.

The episode has provided Newsom, serving his second term as governor, with a national platform that has allowed him to portray himself as Trump’s chief antagonist.

But it has also underscored the risks of appearing too sympathetic to protesters, some of whom have set cars on fire and thrown bottles at police. During his first term, Trump castigated Democrats for civil unrest during riots protesting the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in 2020.

Law enforcement officers ride alongside a vehicle during protests in Los Angeles on 8 June. (Photo: Allison Dinner / EPA-EFE)

In one demonstration of that delicate balancing act, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tensions by sending in the National Guard, while also condemning protesters.

“I don’t want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily,” Bass told a press conference on Sunday.

Trump accused Newsom and Bass of playing down the violence.

“We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California,” he posted on social media on Monday. “If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”

An activist holds signs as a car burns during protests in LA on 8 June. (Photo: Allison Dinner / EPA-EFE)

A protester vandalises a Waymo self-driving car during immigration raid protests in LA on 8 June.(Photo: Allison Dinner / EPA-EFE)

On guard

US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. The Department of Homeland Security said the Guard’s mission was to protect federal buildings.

Police declared all of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday to be an unlawful assembly area and ordered protesters to go home after a third day of violence hit immigration protests.

During those protests, officers on horseback tried to control the crowds. Some used flash-bang grenades and tear gas, reported CNN.

Demonstrators shouted “Shame on you!” at the police, and some appeared to throw objects, video images showed. One group blocked the 101 Freeway, a downtown thoroughfare.

Activists hold aloft Mexican flags as cars burn during protests in Los Angeles, on 8 June. (Photo: Caroline Brehman /EPA-EFE)

Several self-driving cars from Alphabet’s Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening.

City police chief Jim McDonnell told a media briefing on Sunday evening that people had a right to protest peacefully, but the violence he had seen by some was “disgusting”.

Asked if the National Guard was needed, McDonnell said the police would not “go to that right away”, but added, “Looking at the violence tonight, I think we’ve got to make a reassessment.”

Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night. DM