New York [US], June 14: Within two and a half hours, two conflicting rulings were issued by a California court, with the final decision allowing US President Donald Trump to temporarily continue commanding the National Guard in Los Angeles.
Yesterday (Vietnam time), the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, California, overturned a lower court's ruling earlier in the day, according to AP. The court action came amid continued protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration's push to deport illegal immigrants .
Short-lived legal victory
The appeals court's ruling temporarily grants President Trump the authority to deploy the National Guard to maintain order in Los Angeles until the court makes a final decision, NBC News reported. The hearing will be held on June 17, and is being conducted at the request of the Trump administration. The ruling does not mean the court will agree with Trump's request.
Hours earlier, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to deal with protests in Los Angeles was unlawful, according to Reuters. Judge Breyer's 36-page ruling ordered the National Guard to return to the command of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who filed a lawsuit after Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles.
Despite the brief legal victory, which lasted only two and a half hours, the California Governor's Office noted that the appeals court only temporarily blocked, not overturned, the district court's ruling. "I am confident that, based on the 36-page review of the content, the district court's ruling will stand," Reuters quoted Governor Newsom as saying.
Controversial press conference
In his ruling, Justice Breyer said the Guard's presence in the city had inflamed tensions with protesters, according to AFP. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to immediately stop the immigration arrests that have sparked protests in America's second largest city.
Bass made the call after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference in the city, pledging to "liberate" Los Angeles from the violence. However, the press conference became controversial after the Secret Service forcibly removed California Senator Alex Padilla from the room when he tried to ask a question. As he was being taken out, Padilla was pushed to the ground and handcuffed behind his back. He was later released.
Americans are divided over President Trump's decision to use the military to control the situation in Los Angeles. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 48% of respondents agreed that the president should deploy the military to keep order on the streets in the event of violence, while 41% disagreed.
Protests against ICE measures have now spread to several places. Yesterday, June 13, CNN reported that Portland police (Oregon state) arrested 10 people during a protest on the evening of June 12 near the ICE office in this city. Police accused these people of violating the law such as disturbing the peace, arson, and resisting law enforcement.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
