The Trump Administration is withdrawing 2,000 National Guardsmen from Los Angeles, which is half of the military members who were deployed last month in response to violent protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns.
“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday, per CNN. “As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen (79th IBCT) from the federal protection mission.”
President Trump deployed 2,000 members of the National Guard on June 7, as videos of ICE vehicles being hit with rocks and LAPD cars being attacked were seen on X; the mayhem also led to the shutdown of the 101 freeway. The president deployed an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen a week later.
The president’s decision led to swift criticism from LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor sued the Trump Administration, saying it had “illegally” deployed the National Guard and had “exacerbated” the situation by doing so.
“He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,” Newsom told MSNBC in June.
At first, a federal judge ruled in favor of Newsom, saying the president did not have the authority to command the National Guard without requesting the governor’s approval. An appeals court later overturned that decision, allowing the president to command the Guardsmen while the case makes its way through court.
Both Newsom and Bass were happy to see the 2,000 military members were being removed from LA on Tuesday. Newsom called on the president to “send everyone home now,” because the remaining Guardsmen are continuing “without a mission.”
And Bass called the decision a much needed “retreat.”
“Our soldiers are trained to fight to kill foreign enemies in foreign lands,” Bass said. “There was never a need for them here before. And there isn’t a need for them now.”
