Pentagon Announces 2,000 Of 4,000 National Guard Troops to be Withdrawn From L.A.

The Pentagon announced late on Tuesday that 2,000 of the roughly 4,000 California National Guard troops currently deployed in Los Angeles to assist with protests and other immigration actions will be withdrawn because of federal agents no longer needing their assistance.

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. “As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen (79th IBCT) from the federal protection mission.”

For over a month, around 4,000 California National Guard troops and 800 U.S. Marines have been deployed in Los Angeles to help keep the peace following large anti-ICE protests in the city. In addition to helping quell protests and riots, the troops also assisted in helping carry out arrests, protecting federal buildings, and guarding federal agents. Overall, deployments were set for 60 days, to help ensure that additional help would be there through most of the summer.

While initially in demand, the number of protests against ICE and federal agents greatly dropped off. The California National Guard even requested the federal government to release a few hundred troops earlier this month to help assist with wildfires. However, the federal government opted to keep troops in place for the fourth of July and a little bit past to ensure that protests wouldn’t spike again. But with no more major incidents that required military assistance, the Pentagon opted to begin removing troops from the city on Tuesday.

Despite the Pentagon confirming that the removal of half the National Guardsmen was strategic because they simply weren’t needed anymore, some lawmakers in the city and state said that it was a “retreat” and that the entire episode was nothing more than a “political” action.

“For more than a month, the National Guard has been pulled away from their families, communities and civilian work to serve as political pawns for the President in Los Angeles. While nearly 2,000 of them are starting to demobilize, the remaining guardsmembers continue without a mission, without direction and without any hopes of returning to help their communities,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement.

“This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong. We organized peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court — all of this led to today’s retreat,” added Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “My message today to Angelenos is clear — I will never stop fighting for this city. We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in LA, but throughout our country.”

The withdrawal of troops also dampens Governor Newsom’s lawsuit against Donald Trump over the federal deployment of troops. While Newsom and other state officials initially had hope with the lawsuit, the Trump administration quickly scored court wins allowing them to keep troops in the city, with indications by the courts showing that Newsom’s suit was a losing battle. With wins in the federal appellate court, the state has been largely quiet over the matter for the past several weeks.

As of Wednesday, the other 2,000 National Guard troops and the 800 Marines are still in the city assisting federal agents. It is currently unknown if they will see early withdrawal or if they will continue on with their 60 day deployments.