Court Temporarily Blocks Trump National Guard Order California

Tensions between President Trump and California escalated in June 2025 amid immigration-related protests in Los Angeles, leading Trump to bypass Governor Newsom and activate the California National Guard, prompting a legal battle. A federal judge initially ruled Trump's action unconstitutional, but an appeals court temporarily blocked that ruling, allowing the Guard's presence to continue while the case is reviewed. The conflict intensified when Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed during a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles after attempting to question Secretary Kristi Noem, an incident widely publicized and criticized by Democrats. The Trump administration justified the removal by claiming security personnel did not recognize Padilla, but Democrats leveraged the event to highlight their criticism of the administration's approach to immigration and use of power. Historically fraught, the Trump-California relationship briefly softened after the 2024 election and fire recovery efforts, but recent deployments of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles for immigration enforcement and protests mark a sharp return to confrontation. The dispute underscores the broader clash between the Trump administration’s immigration policies and California's diverse, immigrant-rich population and political leadership.