Analysts noted that the decision to deploy the National Guard usually comes from the ground up – local state officials determine if it is necessary, and the governor requests troops.
VanLandingham pointed out it is primarily Newsom’s responsibility and duty to keep the streets of Los Angeles safe, not the president’s.
“Trump completely bypassed him in an unprecedented manner,” she told CNA’s Asia First.
“This goes against hundreds of years of norms, of procedural safeguards, in an aversion against using federal troops – particularly active-duty troops – in a domestic law enforcement policing capacity, because it smacks of authoritarian overreach.”
TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON IMMIGRATION
Trump’s authorisation of the troops came after protests rocked Los Angeles as immigration and customs enforcement officers executed search warrants and arrested immigrants in the county last Friday.
The president has made clamping down on immigration a cornerstone of his second term since his return to the White House in January, and has not held back on “pushing the limits of executive power”, said Mullaney.
“Whether it’s tariffs, higher education or immigration, the president has pushed those limits,” he said.
