Pentagon Orders Withdrawal of 2,000 National Guard Troops from Los Angeles

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has commanded that 2,000 National Guard troops withdraw from Los Angeles, as per the Pentagon.

The drawdown affects up to 2,000 out of the 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles in early June by President Donald Trump to assist in conducting federal immigration raids in response to mass rallies across the city.

According to figures from the Department of Homeland Security, cited by NBC Los Angeles, the federal raids have led to arrests of 2,792 undocumented immigrants.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the partial withdrawal comes as “the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding.”

But the city’s leadership described another picture, with mayor Karen Bass, who repeatedly opposed the federal deployment, described the move as a “retreat” by the administration, praising local resistance achievemtns.

“This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong,” Bass said.“We organised peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court. All of this led to today’s retreat.”

Bass referred to a recent legal ruing, in which a federal judge backed LA authorities in a lawsuit that prohibited immigration officers from detaining people based solely on their race or language, including for speaking Spanish.

Under current rules, federal troops in Los Angeles can detain individuals who are considered a threat to federal personnel or property, but only until local law enforcement can step in. Military personnel cannot carrying out arrests themselves.

With input from Al Jazeera