The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that had directed Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California.

The block came shortly after the judge ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority.

The White House called the order “unprecedented” and said it “puts our brave federal officials in danger.” The federal government immediately filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit court.

The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter June 17.

Trump has ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws.

Police made 81 arrests Wednesday, most for failing to disperse on the second night of a curfew in downtown Los Angeles. They say nearly 470 LA protesters have been detained or arrested since Saturday.

The protests intensified after Trump called up the Guard and have since spread to Boston, Chicago, Seattle and other cities. More are scheduled for this weekend as Trump stages a military parade in Washington.

Here are some things to know about the protests:

Court showdown set over troops in LA

The war of words over Trump’s use of troops to help carry out intensified immigration raids moved from social media to a federal courtroom in California on Thursday afternoon.

Newsom asked the judge to order an emergency stop to Trump’s troop deployment to protect federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents making arrests across Los Angeles. He said the presence of troops at the raids has further inflamed tensions.

The Trump administration on Wednesday called the lawsuit a “crass political stunt endangering American lives,” and said it was willing to send troops to other cities to assist with immigration enforcement and controlling disturbances. It’s in line with what Trump promised during the 2024 campaign.

In a court filing ahead of Thursday’s hearing in San Francisco, eight former high-ranking U.S. military officials said the deployments posed “multiple risks to the core mission of the National Guard and the Marines, and to the well-being of the troops.”

All 22 other Democratic governors agreed, calling it “an alarming abuse of power.”

On the Republican side, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops and more than 2,000 state police to help local law enforcement manage protests.

What troops are in LA, and what are they doing?

Trump’s orders moved troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions including deportations as the president has promised as part of his crackdown.

Some 2,000 Guard soldiers were already trained and many participated in protest security, and 2,000 more were expected to join them later.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, overseeing Trump’s troop deployment, said the 700 Marines deployed to the city were undergoing civil disobedience training in Orange County.

About 500 of the Guard troops deployed to the protests were trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, he said.

ICE said the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers.

California senator removed from Noem event

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed after he interrupted a Los Angeles news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration.

Padilla, a California Democrat, was removed as he tried to shout over Noem.

“I think everybody in America would agree that that was inappropriate,” Noem said.

Newsom called the removal “outrageous, dictatorial and shameful.”

The Department of Homeland Security said Padilla refused to back away, leading agents to think he was dangerous. Despite DHS assertions that Padilla did not identify himself, he is heard saying “I’m Sen. Alex Padilla” as an agent pushes him away.

Noem met with Padilla afterward for 15 minutes.

LA police respond quickly to control demonstrators

Police quickly moved demonstrators away from a federal building before the second night of the curfew took effect. Officers on horseback also charged at a group in front of City Hall, hitting them with wooden rods and pushing them out of a park. Officers also fired crowd control projectiles and federal authorities said they arrested one man for allegedly distributing face shields to protesters.

A roughly 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of the sprawling city of about 4 million people is affected by the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

Protests have popped up in more than a dozen major cities elsewhere, including New York. On Wednesday, police in Seattle deployed pepper spray to clear out protesters and officers used smoke and pepper balls to control a crowd in Denver.

“No Kings” rallies critical of Trump are planned nationwide Saturday to coincide with the president’s scheduled military parade in Washington.

What's behind the demonstrations?

The protests started Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading Saturday to the neighboring cities of Compton and Paramount. They have been driven by anger over Trump’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws.

Los Angeles County presents a ripe target for the raids, as an estimated 10% of residents aren't in the country legally.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said late last month that ICE should make at least 3,000 arrests a day. That would mark a dramatic increase from Jan. 20 to May 19, when the agency made an average of 656 arrests a day.

Democratic governors called before Congress Thursday vowed to follow the law when it comes to immigration but insisted the White House do the same.

“As we speak, an American city has been militarized over the objections of their governor,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told the House Oversight committee. “This is a flagrant abuse of power and nothing short of an assault on our American values.”

AP

What to know about the protests over Trump's immigration crackdown in LA and other cities