Court hearing to begin on Trump sending National Guard, Marines to Los Angeles over violent protests

A court hearing is set to begin Thursday on President Trump sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles over violent, anti-immigration enforcement protests.

Protests in Los Angeles turned violent over the weekend after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids last week, resulting in detentions and deportations of illegal immigrants. The protests led Trump to deploy 4,000 state National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city over the objections of California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom is suing Trump over his federalization of the National Guard. 

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer on Tuesday dismissed Newsom's bid to immediately limit the law enforcement activities of the National Guardsmen in Los Angeles to the areas around federal buildings. Breyer instead set the hearing for Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, according to the Associated Press.

The governor and Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Karen Bass argue Trump sending the military goes beyond his authority and infringes on theirs. Newsom said that the service members were originally deployed to protect federal buildings, but that allowing them to assist with immigration raids would only provoke civil unrest.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives.”

The National Guard has had limited engagement with protesters and the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles.

The military announced on Tuesday that some National Guard members were standing around federal agents to protect them. The Guard can temporarily detain people who attack officers, but only law enforcement can make arrests.