U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California led the Senate Democratic Caucus on Friday in urging President Donald Trump to withdraw military personnel deployed to Los Angeles and to refrain from sending additional federal forces into U.S. cities without state approval.
The letter, signed by 49 Democratic and Independent senators, called for the removal of approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines sent to the region. The deployment followed a series of federal immigration enforcement raids and protests against the action in Southern California.
“We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the governor and local leaders,” the letter stated.
The deployment marked the first time active-duty Marines have been stationed in Los Angeles in more than three decades and the first instance since 1965 that California’s National Guard was federalized without the governor’s consent.
The legality of the federal action is currently being reviewed in court. A federal district judge previously ruled that the president had not followed required procedures under federal law and that the deployment likely violated the 10th Amendment. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily paused that ruling while the case proceeds.
The letter comes days after Sen. Padilla was detained at a press conference that was being held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles.
Among the senators who signed the letter were Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.