Federal judge rejects Newsom's request to halt Trump's military deployment, but sets key hearing for Thursday

The political-judicial battle between Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump over sending troops to California added a new chapter Tuesday, when a federal judge in San Francisco rejected the state's request to immediately block the deployment of Marines and National Guard members to the city of Los Angeles, epicenter of the anti-ICE protests of recent days.

However, despite rejecting Newsom's request, Judge Charles R. Breyer set a key hearing for this Thursday at 13:30, where the legal arguments of the measure signed by President Trump will be discussed.

The tension is growing rapidly between California and the White House in parallel to the fifth day of intense and controversial protests in Los Angeles against ICE immigration raids, which have resulted in riots and clashes with police officers. In response, the Department of Defense deployed 700 Marines to reinforce security for federal buildings and personnel, a decision Newsom called an illegal trampling on California's sovereignty.

"Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens," the California governor said on his 'X' account after filing the emergency motion with the judicial system. Newsom's lawsuit, filed alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, argues that the military deployment violates the Constitution by having been ordered without the governor's consent, contravening the limits established by Title 10.

The Department of Justice, however, dismissed California's claim as "legally baseless" and warned that suspending the deployment would risk Department of Homeland Security agents and compromise federal operations.

From Truth Social, President Trump defended the measure, stating that he instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to take action to liberate Los Angeles "from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots."

Thursday's hearing will be key to defining how far the federal government can go in the use of the armed forces inside California, which has rejected outright the Trump administration's intervention in the processes to fight illegal immigration.