Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) office said on Tuesday that the state’s Division of Emergency Management offered to send the state guard to California to help with the recent unrest over immigration protests in Los Angeles, an offer that was ultimately declined by California.
Newsom’s office confirmed that the offer was made from Florida, but that “guard were not needed in the first place, we declined Governor DeSantis[‘s] attempt to inflame an already chaotic situation made worse by his party’s leader.”
The development comes as the Trump administration has deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles amid the demonstrations over ICE raids.
Newsom and DeSantis have long been political rivals, with both governors frequently pitting their respective states against each other. However, the two governors and their states have provided mutual aid in other instances.
DeSantis has been vocally critical of the demonstrations and California’s response since the unrest broke out on Sunday.
“It’s odd that you would have people who are in violation of our laws being in this country illegally and they are protesting and even taking it beyond that because the federal government is trying to enforce the law,” DeSantis told Fox News.
“Part of the reason they’re doing this reaction is because I think in places like California which are sanctuary states, they’ve developed almost a sense of entitlement to just ignore federal immigration laws,” he continued. “They put illegal aliens on health care programs, give them driver’s licenses. They’ve basically welcomed people to come into California illegally for many, many years.”
Newsom has accused the administration of illegally deploying troops to California, calling it “a blatant abuse of power.”
“U.S. Marines serve a valuable purpose for this country — defending democracy. They are not political pawns,” Newsom said in a post on X on Monday.
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