On June 9, 2025, President Donald Trump escalated tensions with California Governor Gavin Newsom, declaring he would support Newsom’s arrest over unrest in Los Angeles tied to ICE raids, stating, “I would do it if I were Tom Homan,” referring to his border czar. The provocative remark, reported by ABC News, followed Newsom’s defiance of Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to quell protests against immigration sweeps, which Newsom called “illegal” and vowed to challenge in court. As clashes intensify, with 56 arrests and reports of tear gas, the feud raises alarms over federal overreach and authoritarianism.
Trump’s statement came amid violent protests in Los Angeles, where demonstrators, angered by ICE’s 118 arrests, including 42 Mexicans, clashed with federal agents. The Department of Homeland Security reported attacks on ICE officers, prompting Trump to federalize the National Guard without Newsom’s consent, a rare move not seen since 1965, per The Guardian. Supporters, backed by 90% of 2016 Trump voters per a 2025 Gallup poll, argue Newsom’s “sanctuary” policies enabled chaos, with ICE’s Todd Lyons accusing local leaders of siding with “rioters.” Trump’s allies, like Rep. Darrell Issa, claim Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass failed to control the city, justifying federal intervention.
Newsom, joined by Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer, condemned Trump’s actions as a “step toward authoritarianism.” In an MSNBC interview, Newsom dared Homan to arrest him, calling the raids “cruel” and disruptive, with 55% of Americans in a 2025 Pew poll viewing Trump’s policies as excessive. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, previewing a lawsuit, argued no legal basis existed for federalizing the Guard, as no rebellion or foreign invasion justified it. The ACLU, citing 35 wrongful detentions in 2025, warned of eroded rights, while Bass insisted local police could handle protests without federal troops.
The legal and economic stakes are high. Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants could cost $315 billion, per a 2024 American Immigration Council study, impacting industries like construction, where 34% of workers are undocumented. Historical parallels, obscured by weak history education—only 13% of eighth graders proficient per a 2023 NAEP report—evoke 1954’s Operation Wetback. Trump’s 2020 call to shoot protesters and 2025 rhetoric, like pardoning 1,500 Capitol rioters, amplify
