Federal Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Trump administration’s ongoing National Guard deployment in Los Angeles is illegal on Sept. 2.

Trump sent about 4,000 troops to the city in early June to contain protests against ICE immigration raids. There are roughly 300 soldiers still stationed in the city. 

The judge ruled this violates the Posse Comitatus Act (1878), which prohibits the use of federal troops for domestic policing under non-violent circumstances. The ruling does not require the immediate removal of the troops, but it stops them from engaging in domestic law enforcement roles.

The ruling stems from Newsom v. Trump, a lawsuit filed on June 10 by California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Bonta. Newsom publicly denounced the deployment of troops as “illegal and immoral.” 

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the administration, saying, “Once again, a rogue judge is trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to protect American cities from violence and destruction.”

Judge Breyer said, “There is no question that federal personnel should be able to perform their jobs without fearing for their safety. But to use this as a hook to send military troops alongside federal agents wherever they go proves too much and would frustrate the very purpose of the Posse Comitatus Act.”

Trump is now threatening similar deployments in cities such as Chicago, Baltimore and New York.

This is a developing story.