Attorney General Alan Wilson leads defense of Trump’s deployment of National Guard amid LA Riots

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson co-led a coalition of 19 state attorneys general and one territory’s attorney general in filing a legal brief backing President Donald Trump’s lawful deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles in response to violent anti-immigration riots that overwhelmed local authorities and endangered federal law enforcement and property. 

“I am proud to be leading Republican attorneys general in standing up for law and order in the face of chaos,” said Attorney General Wilson. “California’s leaders didn’t just fail to act, they actively politicized these riots, surrendered to the mob, and abandoned federal officers under siege. Federal law is clear here: the President has the authority, and the obligation, to act when states won’t. President Trump stepped up to do what California refused to do. South Carolina stands with him, and we will do everything in our power to support him in restoring order and enforcing the law.” 

The brief argues that President Trump acted squarely within his constitutional and statutory authority under Title 10 of the United States Code when he called National Guard troops into federal service to protect federal agents, property, and the rule of law, particularly when state and local officials in California allegedly failed to act as rioters overrun portions of Los Angeles and obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

The amicus brief recounts days of escalating chaos in Los Angeles, where federal immigration officers faced violent attacks, ICE buildings were surrounded and defaced, cars were set ablaze, and LAPD officers pleaded for assistance. Despite the lawlessness, California officials sought to block federal action through an emergency lawsuit. The brief forcefully opposes California’s motion, calling it a political maneuver that undermines public safety and the Constitution. 

The coalition underscores that federalism requires a balance, not abandonment. When states surrender control or allow chaos to flourish, the federal government must act to preserve national integrity. 

South Carolina is joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, the Territory of Guam, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.  

You can read the full brief here.