SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In early June 2025, President Donald Trump unilaterally deployed military forces to Los Angeles to suppress what the White House described as anti-ICE riots, a move that has drawn widespread backlash over its high costs and aggressive military presence. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now taking the fight to court, calling the action an unlawful federalization of the National Guard and demanding that all remaining troops at the Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos be released, along with full transparency about the taxpayer cost of the deployment.
In a press release issued by his office, Newsom said the state is requesting information “through the federal Freedom of Information Act… to identify the total expenses incurred to activate the U.S. Marines and federalize the National Guard since June 7.” A Defense Department estimate presented in a congressional hearing projected $134 million in Pentagon spending on the deployment, alarming many California residents.
Newsom’s release emphasized the immediate economic impact of the military presence and immigration raids, which have cost taxpayers millions and disrupted the state’s economy. The report stated, “Private sector work attendance is down 3.1%, a drop comparable only to COVID-19 lockdown levels.” Concerns about unlawful detainment and confrontations with the National Guard are expected to drive attendance even lower in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the release, “Mass arrests, detentions, and deportations in California could cost the state’s economy $275 billion and eliminate $23 billion in annual tax revenue.” The figures account for disruptions to critical industries including construction, agriculture and hospitality — sectors vital to recovery efforts in Los Angeles County following recent wildfires. The report also noted that undocumented immigrants contribute “$8.5 billion in state and local taxes, a figure that would rise to $10.3 billion if they could work lawfully.”
Critics called Trump’s mobilization an unnecessary show of force, removing thousands of National Guard members from essential civilian roles as “medical and first responders, law enforcement personnel, educators, and agriculture workers.” Newsom argued that the deployment effectively sidelined individuals providing irreplaceable services in their communities.
As of August, 300 National Guard troops remained in California more than a month after the unrest subsided. Newsom has called for the president to “allow the remaining soldiers to go back to their families, communities, and civilian professions.”
Newsom’s stance has drawn bipartisan support, including from “both Republican and Democratic former governors who agree that federalization violates the balance between state and federal government.” The release said a bipartisan group of 25 former governors has filed a brief in support of Newsom v. Trump, “urging the court to enforce state sovereignty and block the unprecedented federalization of the National Guard.” Retired four-star admirals and generals also filed in support, warning of “the grave risks of Trump’s illegal takeover of the CalGuard.”
In an Aug. 4 press release, Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighted the state’s legal successes against Trump administration actions. They said California “ensured that an estimated $168 billion continued to flow to the state through a single early lawsuit challenging the President’s illegal and sweeping freeze of federal funding.”
Bonta said the legal efforts turned a $5 million investment into more than $168 billion in restored federal funding. The state has also successfully challenged attempts to dismantle federal agencies such as AmeriCorps and the Department of Health and Human Services, defended birthright citizenship, and blocked the release of Californians’ sensitive data to immigration authorities.
