Trump can keep National Guard deployed to Los Angeles for now, appeals court rules

National Guard members stand guard during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, outside Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, California, US, June 12, 2025. REUTERS

A US appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to maintain his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles amid protests over stepped-up immigration enforcement, temporarily pausing a lower court's ruling blocking the mobilisation.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals' decision does not mean that the court will ultimately agree with Trump, but it means he will maintain command of the guard for now.

Earlier on Thursday, San Francisco-based US District Judge Charles Breyer found that Trump's deployment of the Guard was unlawful. Breyer had ordered the National Guard to return to the control of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had brought the case.

It was a short-lived victory for Newsom, as Breyer's order was paused a short time later.

The appeals court decision stands to leave in place the dynamic of weeklong street demonstrations that have been concentrated in downtown Los Angeles, largely at a federal detention centre where National Guard troops have stood watch.

The Guard had also accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on operations.