Pentagon chief downsizes contentious LA troop deployment

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on as he attends the signing of an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo

WASHINGTON, United States — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, roughly halving the contentious deployment in the city, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

President Donald Trump ordered thousands of National Guard and hundreds of Marines into Los Angeles last month in response to protests over federal immigration sweeps — a move opposed by city leaders and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

READ: National Guard deploys in LA as Trump warns of ‘troops everywhere’

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

“As such, the secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen (79th IBCT) from the federal protection mission,” he said.

As a so-called “sanctuary city” with hundreds of thousands of undocumented people, Los Angeles has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration since the Republican returned to office in January.

After immigration enforcement raids spurred unrest and protests last month, Trump — who has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest — dispatched the National Guard and US Marines to quell the disruption.

It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor. Newsom has said the troops were not necessary to address the mostly peaceful protests.