Polina Pelipenko | News Editor
October 10, 2025
On June 10th, the National Guard was deployed into L.A., beginning the trend of thousands of troops entering American cities under the Trump Administration. This move by the Trump administration is making residents feel uneasy and fearful, with armored tanks rolling down city streets.
The National Guard is a state-based military branch that is often called upon to combat domestic threats. This is not the first time in American history that the National Guard has been deployed, yet this time is much different than the others. The National Guard is state-based, so each state will have its own separate faction of it, and governors often call upon them for humanitarian aid in times of crisis.
In June of this year, President Trump sent over 2,000 troops to the city of Los Angeles following heavy protesting in the local area. The protests started following the administration’s decision to send in hundreds of fleets of ICE into Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom immediately responded to Trump’s act by threatening to sue the entire administration over a violation of the Constitution. Newsom brought the case up to the federal judiciary level, and as of October, the case has gone through the first court, with a judge ruling Trump to be violating the “Posse Comitatus” Act in the Constitution, which states that the National Guard cannot act like the police force.
The Trump administration is actively still deploying troops into U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., Portland, and Chicago. Yet the people of these cities do not feel any more secure, nor safer, seeing the military parading their grounds. Many citizens have expressed discomfort in seeing soldiers in full gear, as if they are going to war, while on their morning walk to work. When asked how she would feel seeing active military in our own city, sophomore Mahault Du Halgouet said, “I feel like it’s just unnecessary, and we shouldn’t use our own military against ourselves.” Halgouet’s voice speaks to those of the residents in these cities who feel as if their own country has turned against them. Michael Swank, a senior at San Clemente, voiced similar concerns, and shared that, “There are other ways to protect the city without making the residents feel uncomfortable in their own city.”
This move by President Trump pushes the limits of presidential power and how far the Constitution can be stretched. As of now, federal judges have stopped the mobilization of even more troops into the cities. Yet, there is no saying how far this push of power will go.
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