LOS ANGELES, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday ordered 2,000 of the roughly 4,000 California National Guard members deployed in the Los Angeles area to return to their home commands.
"Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding," said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement, announcing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to scale back the deployment.
The "federal protection mission" had achieved its immediate goals, the statement said.
It was not specified how soon the service members would leave, while some officials said units would redeploy "in an orderly manner". The California National Guard confirmed it had begun contacting commanders to arrange transportation for soldiers whose assignments are ending.
The Trump administration federalized around 4,000 California National Guard members and dispatched about 700 active-duty Marines to the Los Angeles area in June after large-scale protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids in the area.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sharply criticized the deployment, arguing that the heavy military presence aggravated tensions rather than restored calm. Both officials reiterated on Tuesday that complete control of public-safety operations should be returned to state and local agencies at once.
"Thousands of members are still federalized in Los Angeles for no reason and unable to carry out their critical duties across the state," Newsom said in a post on X. "End this theater and send everyone home."
At a press conference Tuesday evening, Bass said the troops were "deployed unnecessarily" and "used as props" by the Trump administration. "I am hoping that this is the beginning of a complete withdrawal," she said as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
Even after the drawdown, some 2,000 Guard troops and all 700 Marines will remain in the Los Angeles area. Their responsibilities include protecting federal buildings and assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their operations.
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