Following recent directives from the Department of Defense (DOD), around 250 National Guard members will remain in Los Angeles to safeguard federal personnel and properties.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced the dismissal of roughly 1,350 California State Guard members from their federal protection duties on Wednesday. These forces were initially deployed to manage protests related to immigration and customs enforcement actions.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell noted on Thursday that the remaining troops would be tasked with protecting “federal personnel and property.”
“We are incredibly thankful that over 5,000 security personnel and Marines have mobilized in Los Angeles to uphold the federal government’s functions amid persistent lawlessness in the city,” Parnell stated.
Besides about 4,000 National Guard troops, another 700 Marines have been assigned to help manage protests following President Trump’s intensified focus on illegal immigration.
Local and state officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), have sharply criticized the deployment, arguing that it escalates tensions unnecessarily.
Earlier in mid-July, approximately 2,000 National Guard members were withdrawn under the Trump administration’s orders. Shortly thereafter, Hegses instructed the cancellation of all 700 Marines from Los Angeles, with the DOD asserting that a reduced military presence would “help restore order and support the rule of law.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who has filed a lawsuit claiming that the National Guard’s deployment was illegal, expressed satisfaction with the Pentagon’s decision to scale back the National Guard’s presence in Los Angeles, suggesting that Trump’s “political theatre has backfired.”
“This militarization has always been unnecessary and highly unpopular. The president should take appropriate steps to terminate this illegal militarization, as its social and economic consequences are severe,” Newsom remarked in a statement on Thursday. “Our military personnel should not be utilized as mere props for federal government propaganda.”
