‘Trump is not king’: Fil-Am official hails ruling on National Guard deployment

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta Tuesday hailed the court ruling that President Donald
Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, amid protests against immigration raids, was illegal.

“Today’s ruling affirms that President Trump is not king, and the power of the executive is not boundless,” said Bonta, who led the legal battle against Trump’s deployment of troops to LA.

In a press conference, the Filipino American attorney general explained the federal judge’s finding that Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth broke the Posse Comitatus Act by sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

Judge Charles Breyer of the US District Court in San Francisco issued the ruling Tuesday, finding that the deployment was in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars most uses of US troops on US soil.

The Trump administration has argued that the troops were there to protect federal officers and property and they were not performing local policing duties.

Bonta said the Posse Comitatus Act has deep roots in American tradition, going back to the founding of the US, when the British King used his military to police the Colonies.

“I applaud the District Court for firmly rejecting the Trump Administration’s reckless interpretation of the Posse Comitatus Act and rebuking its unprecedented use of military troops for civilian law enforcement in California communities,” he said.

We’ve secured a major victory in our case against President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unlawful deployment of federalized National Guard and Marines in Southern California.

With today’s decision, Trump is blocked from using the National Guard and Marines for… pic.twitter.com/fhWqYvfFA8

— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) September 2, 2025

Bonta said Trump’s deployment of  4,000 National Guard and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June “trampled on one of the very basic foundations of our democracy.”

He accused Trump of using National Guard troops and Marines “as pawns to further his anti-immigrant agenda.”

An appeal is expected from the Trump administration.

The injunction applies only to the military in California, not nationally. Trump, who recently deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., said he may send troops to Chicago.

The president said last month that he can “do anything I want to do… if I think our country is in danger.”

A copy of the court’s order can be found here.

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