Laws apply anywhere and everywhere. There isn’t one place where there weren’t laws put in place for citizens to live in a civilized manner. One thing that hasn’t been made as clear is that laws apply to people in power as well.
The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, a convicted felon, has recently deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and plans to send more troops to other cities.
In June 2025, President Trump deployed about 4,000 of California’s National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to confront protesters that are against ICE operations in the city, according to NPR. When they were deployed, their only task was to protect ICE agents and federal property. Then, on August 11, Trump deployed about 2,200 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. again to “ quell crime” and “help reestablish law, order, and public safety.”
Although crime is at a historic low in D.C., Trump claims that the capital has been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” per Time magazine. While occupying the city, the troops have not been stationed in high-crime areas. Most of them are stationed at tourist hubs and subway stations in the city, CBC reports. The National Guard is not making arrests at this time, but there has been “a surge in law enforcement” sent to D.C., according to the administration.
On September 2nd, Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California stated that the Trump administration illegally deployed thousands of troops to LA, according to The Guardian. The decision came from the lawsuit originally filed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in June, when the troops were first deployed. The lawsuit argued that the troops were violating a law that prohibits US military troops from interfering with domestic law enforcement. In his ruling, Breyer didn’t order the troops out of the city, but banned them from engaging in “arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, etc”. Breyer has paused the order until Friday, giving the administration time to appeal his decision. If there’s no appeal, though it is highly likely for the administration to appeal, the order will go into effect on September 12th. Afterwards, Governor Newsom praised the order, stating, “No president is a king-not even Trump.”
Trump is now signaling for troops to make their way into Chicago, Illinois,to combat crime. Even stating, “This will go further. We are starting strongly with D.C.” The federal order issued by Breyer does complicate Trump’s threats to invade more cities, but it may not be as effective due to the administration’s defiance of federal orders.
