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.
“That isn’t going to fly in Florida,” DeSantis said on Tuesday. “This is not Los Angeles. This is the free state of Florida. So we respect the law, we respect the people that are executing the law.”
“If you don’t like the laws, then vote for people to change the laws. You don’t have the right to just simply opt out of federal immigration law,” he said.
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.
