A U.S. district judge blocked Trump from deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and said control of the Guard must be returned to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

While the decision did not remove the National Guard troops from the president’s control, it blocked him from using them in the nation’s second-largest city.

Trump retains power over the California National Guard but may not deploy troops in Los Angeles for now, appeals panel rules.

The order, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer, is a blow to the Trump administration, and comes six months after the president in June deployed thousands of federalized National Guard troops to the city in response to a wave of immigration protests.

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration had illegally kept troops in Los Angeles after emergency conditions had ended. The administration is expected to appeal.

A federal judge on Dec. 10 blocked President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, according to a court filing.