A day after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard in California amid protests against federal immigration raids, Democratic candidates for governor have largely disavowed the use of the troops.
Six Democrats are seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, and each has at least touched on how they plan to handle Trump as governor. The stakes for Democrats rose on Saturday night when Trump federalized the California National Guard without the request of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A president does not necessarily need a governor’s permission to federalize the National Guard, but this weekend’s rare use of troops for domestic purposes highlights the volatile position a Democratic governor may hold during this Republican presidency.
On Sunday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), while leading a Get Out the Vote rally in Fair Lawn in preparation for this week’s primary, said the use of troops was unnecessary.
“He’s trying to bust into a state where he’s not welcome, he’s not been asked for,” Gottheimer told the New Jersey Globe after his event. “It’s a situation that is under control, according to the governor, and he’s just going in. But this raises the larger issue of what Trump does, where he’s going to neighborhoods and rounding up innocent, undocumented people by the churches and schools and restaurants.”
Unrest in the Los Angeles area began Friday, when residents protested a series of workplace immigration raids in the region. More than 120 people have been arrested during minor clashes between officers and protesters. State and local officials said violence was limited to a small number of demonstrators and that police are more than capable of handling the situation. Still, Trump signed a memorandum deploying 2,000 troops to stifle the protests, a decision Newsom called “purposefully inflammatory.”
“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice.”
A president last used troops for domestic law enforcement in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush deployed troops in California at the request of Gov. Pete Wilson amid riots over the beating of Rodney King. National Guard troops haven’t been used without a governor’s consent since 1965, when the federal government deployed troops to protect civil rights activists.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor, criticized the president’s deployment of troops during a canvass launch in Montclair.
“I am a veteran, I’m a former federal prosecutor who’s worked with law enforcement on the ground,” Sherrill said. “I can tell you it is the job of the police to deal with riots.”
Gottheimer and Sherrill did not propose a specific action they would take to stop Trump from taking similar action in New Jersey — in fact, there may not be a legal authority a governor could use to prevent it. In an interview with the New Jersey Globe, Sherrill pointed to legislative efforts she’s made to limit a president’s ability to use the military for domestic law enforcement, but the reforms haven’t made it into congressional defense legislation.
New Jersey has been at the center of multiple immigration-related controversies during Trump’s first few months back in the Oval Office. Since Trump was elected in November, much of the focus of the Democratic primary has been on how a potential governor would interact with Trump, including on immigration.
Perhaps the most high-profile incident was the arrest and subsequent dismissal of trespassing charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who had demanded entry to a federal migrant detention center for the purpose of inspections. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) has since been charged with assaulting a federal police officer during Baraka’s arrest, allegations she says are false and politically motivated.
“A day after we just saw military-like tanks ride through the streets of Los Angeles in a very authoritarian way, we have an incredibly important job to do June 10th: We need to make sure we elect a Democrat that stands up for democracy, that defends the Constitution of this country,” Baraka, who is also running for governor, said in a video message Sunday.
The Trump administration has threatened to escalate the military presence if disorder continues. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Marines from California’s Camp Pendleton could also be deployed if disorder continues.
Not all gubernatorial hopefuls are disavowing the president; Republican Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican frontrunner who received Trump’s endorsement last month, said the use of troops was needed to keep order in the city.
“The brazen lawlessness in Los Angeles requires an immediate and vigorous response,” Ciattarelli wrote. “And so, I applaud the President for his executive decision to send in the National Guard to support local law-enforcement, stop the violence, and bring those endangering the lives of others to justice.”
Sherrill, who has increasingly targeted Ciattarelli as the primary nears its Tuesday conclusion, said the Republican’s embrace of the president means a similar dynamic could play out in the Garden State if Ciattarelli is elected.
“What does Jack Ciattarelli have to say about it? He’s with [Trump]. Is he going to invite the Marines into the streets of New Jersey? This is ridiculous,” she said. “That’s not leadership, that’s not governing, that’s not standing up for the people you serve, that’s not talking about truth in a moment of crisis in this nation, and that is not how we’re going to go forward in this state.”