Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the release of half of the 4,000 National Guard members sent to Los Angeles after federal officials declared unrest was subsiding.
- About 2,000 guardsmen and roughly 700 Marines will remain on duty to guard federal buildings and support ICE operations in the city.
- President Trump’s deployment over Governor Newsom’s objections marked the first use of Title 10 authority against a governor since 1965.
- Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass have filed lawsuits and continue to call for a full pullback of all federalized troops.
- Critics say the operation has diverted Guardsmen from wildfire response and reignited debate over the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.