Trump’s National Guard goons could be about to get their asses whipped in LA

Over the past few days, Donald Trump has turned towards national guard troops and marines as protests rage in Los Angeles. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been met with robust community resistance as they attempt to detain and deport so-called ‘illegal immigrants’. Amnesty International have called Trump’s immigration policies “racist” and “harmful.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have made it clear that Trump is treading a dangerous path:

 he simply cannot accomplish his immigration agenda without violating the Constitution and federal laws.

Now, Trump is accused by the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, of overreaching his presidential powers by deploying the national guard without Newsom’s agreement.

Trump calls on national guard

Initially, it appeared that a federal judge agreed with Newsom that Trump had overreached. The president of the US is only allowed to deploy the national guard in an emergency. However, given Trump has long thirsted to bring the army in to suppress protests, the temptation was clearly too much. Initially, district judge Charles Breyer had ruled that Trump’s decision to call in 4000 national guard troops was “illegal.” When discussing if Trump had followed the correct procedure for how the national guard are called up, Breyer wrote:

At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions.

He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

And, Breyer concluded that:

He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.

Breyer than stayed the order until the Trump administration could have a chance to appeal the ruling. Appeal they did, and the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeal stayed Breyer’s order until the 17th June. At that point, three judges will determine whether to consider Trump’s decision to deploy the troops as illegal or proportionate.

Trump’s decision to deploy the national guard is the first time ever in US history that a president has invoked the special permission necessary for the head of state to overrule federal governors.

Unwanted celebration of army

Importantly, there are significant protests planned for the weekend. While anti-ICE protests have spread across the country, this weekend is likely to see ongoing flashpoints. In his endless worship of the trappings of the army (if not actual support for the people in them), Trump has organised a parade for the 250th anniversary of the US army. However, the parade is seen as a gaudy extravagance by many. The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols explained:

Trump is, in many ways, very childlike. He likes shiny things and uniforms and big parades, and he’s wanted this for a while, but I think he and the other people around him are also more than happy to create a second kind of symbolism here, of: I’m the president. I’m the commander in chief. I can put tanks in the streets anytime I feel like it.

The notion that the parade is an attempt to bolster the administration’s perceptions of power has not been lost on military veterans. Major general Paul Eaton told the Guardian:

This is the politicisation of the armed forces. It casts the military in a terrible light – it’s that man on horseback, who really doesn’t want to be there, out in front of American citizens.

Retired lieutenant general Jeffrey Buchanan said:

The military’s ultimate loyalty is to our constitution, not to a particular leader. We’ve had plenty of tensions between military leaders and presidents in our history, but we’ve always maintained this tradition.

Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of advocacy group, Vet Voice Foundation, told the Independent:

What we’re seeing now is a deliberate effort to turn the military into a political prop.

And, Trump’s decision to go over the head of Newsom to deploy the national guard is also being viewed by veterans as an attempt to politicise the military. Major general Randy Manner said:

He [Trump] escalated immediately for reasons that are only political reasons. They are not reasons that are justifiable.

Lure of power

We’re not usually ones to quote warmongers, from the US army no less, but there is something telling in their comments. Trump loves the pomp and parade that he has made part and parcel of his flexing of power. He is so addled with lust for power, that he won’t care that he’s trampling over the US constitution and inflaming an already precarious situation.

Like everything he does, Trump will have to face up to the legal implications of his rash decision to deploy the national guard. Protests have largely been peaceful but let’s be clear: the demonisation and deportation of immigrants is reason enough to not be peaceful. Trump and his administration are instructing ICE to hunt down immigrants like the gang of thugs that they are. Near-constant footage of the protests shows ICE officers covering their faces to hide their identities as they attempt to tear apart communities.

Throwing the military in the mix is, as Trump well knows, a surefire way to cause even more chaos. LA protests have centred on the attempted deportation of largely Latino communities. As ever, the state’s deathly defence of borders at all costs is one that is the work of white supremacy. The national guard don’t want to be deployed, Newsom doesn’t want them to be deployed, but Trump, as ever, will only achieve one thing: an abuse of power designed to terrorise anyone with basic moral decency.

Featured image via the Canary