Open conflict has broken out between Washington and California. In addition to 2,000 National Guard troops, the Trump administration announced on Monday, June 9, that some 700 US Marines would be sent to maintain order in Los Angeles – a further provocation in the eyes of officials from the Democratic state, who said nothing justified such a deployment except to “fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President,” as Governor Gavin Newsom said.

On the fourth day of protests in Los Angeles against Trump administration raids targeting undocumented migrants, escalation seemed inevitable. California had become the “ground zero” of the standoff between the federal government and Democratic states, particularly over immigration. Tom Homan, Trump’s immigration adviser, even threatened to have the governor arrested if he interfered with the implementation of federal policy. On Monday, the American president applauded the idea. “I would do it if I were Tom,” he said, before calling Newsom a “grossly incompetent” leader.

The governor responded in kind to the “tough guy” Homan: “Arrest me. Let’s go,” he challenged him on MSNBC. “Lay your hands off 4-year-old girls,” he added, referring to Sofia, a Mexican girl from Bakersfield, northeast of Los Angeles, who suffers from a rare disease and faced deportation. The measure was canceled, the White House protested, but at this point, Newsom was no longer concerned with fact-checking either.

US Navy soldiers before departing for Los Angeles, June 9, 2025. U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND VIA X/VIA REUTERS

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