Politics

2,000 National Guard troops withdrawn from Los Angeles

Published on

July 15, 2025

Credit: U.S. Northern Command

Approximately 2,000 members of the California National Guard have been released from federal duty in Los Angeles, according to the Pentagon, marking a partial drawdown of the military deployment ordered last month following anti-ICE protests.

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement provided to ABC News on Tuesday. “As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen from the federal protection mission.”

According to the New York Times, the released troops are part of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which was mobilized on June 7 following unrest in Los Angeles after a series of immigration raids.

California officials had been pushing for an end to the deployment, which the White House had suggested would last 60 days. At its peak, the federal mission included more than 4,000 National Guard troops and an additional contingent of over 700 active-duty Marines.

The deployment was challenged in court by California officials, who argued that the President’s order violated the Tenth Amendment and bypassed the authority of Governor Gavin Newsom. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay allowing the federal mission to continue while the legal case proceeds.

The court found that the President likely acted within his statutory authority to federalize the Guard in response to violence that erupted during protests, which included the alleged use of incendiary devices and assaults on federal personnel.

Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have argued that the deployment escalated otherwise peaceful protests into disturbances. The officials maintained that local law enforcement was capable of managing the unrest.

While 2,000 troops are being withdrawn, it remains unclear how long the remainder of the deployment will continue. The Pentagon has not yet announced any additional timeline for the full drawdown.