The US Administration under President Donald Trump on July 16 (local time) announced that the 2,000 National Guard members, who were deployed in response to widespread month-long immigration protests, were being withdrawn from the Los Angeles area, CNN reported.
According to CNN, citing Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the security situation in Los Angeles was improved, prompting the US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth to order the release of members of the California National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from this federal mission.
“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding… As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen (79th IBCT) from the federal protection mission,” Parnell said in a statement.
The National Guard was activated amid rising tensions over increased immigration enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security across Southern California. As per CNN, the protests erupted in various parts of Los Angeles County, particularly around downtown, where federal law enforcement activity was highly visible.
A federal district judge had earlier ruled that Trump unlawfully federalised California’s National Guard troops. However, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted that decision while legal proceedings continue, CNN reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by calling for a full withdrawal, criticising the continued deployment as a political move. “For more than a month, the National Guard have 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 demobilise, the remaining guards members continue without a mission, without direction and without any hopes of returning to help their communities,” Newsom said in a statement, as quoted by CNN.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass welcomed the reduction, referring to it as a “retreat” driven by local resistance. Bass added that she hopes this signals the beginning of a full withdrawal.
“I hope the administration heard that… Our soldiers are trained to fight to kill foreign enemies in foreign lands. There was never a need for them here before. And there isn’t a need for them now,” she said during a press conference, as quoted by CNN. Although the protests have largely subsided, immigration raids in the region continue.
Last week, ICE agents carried out two raids on legal cannabis farms in Southern California, arresting over 300 individuals. One person died and several others were injured in the process, CNN reported.
On Friday, a federal judge ruled that Homeland Security was conducting stops and arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause, ordering agents to cease detaining individuals based solely on race, language, or job.
This decision followed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which accused the administration of unconstitutional arrests and denying detainees legal access, CNN reported.
In response, Mayor Bass issued directives to city employees, instructing them to grant access only to federal agents with valid arrest warrants and to ensure that departments are prepared with response plans for future raids.
(With inputs from ANI)
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