150 National Guard troops returned to California command; ‘Trump caved,’ Newsom says
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The Trump administration has approved a request from the U.S. military to return to California’s command some of the National Guard troops who were deployed to Los Angeles.
President Trump assigned some 4,100 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to protect federal personnel and property in the Los Angeles area from immigration-related unrest last month, despite pushback from California leaders who said the deployment was unnecessary and inflaming tensions on the ground. On Tuesday, the U.S. Northern Command announced that 150 National Guard troops were being released from protest duty.
The head of the Guard’s U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Gregory Guillot, initially asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to return 200 troops to California’s command, a U.S. official told The Times on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decision had been announced publicly at that time.
The request came as fire season returns and the National Guard unit assigned to combating wildfires is at just 40% of its regular staffing levels, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. The level of protest-related unrest has decreased since demonstrations began June 6 in response to a series of surprise immigration raids.
Eight of CalGuard’s 14 firefighting crews — known as Task Force Rattlesnake — have been deployed to Los Angeles as part of Trump’s federalization of the Guard, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
One of those who has been most outspoken about demanding the return of the National Guard to California command is Newsom, who has called President Trump’s federalization of more than 4,000 troops illegal and continues to battle their deployment in court. The activation of the National Guard is typically carried out by the governor at the request of local leaders.
“Trump caved. Our firefighters are finally returning to fight wildfires. Better late than never,” Newsom said in a Tuesday statement on X regarding the release of 150 troops. “Now — send the rest home. Nearly 5,000 soldiers — including police, paramedics, and first responders — are still sitting idle in L.A. for nothing.”
The decision about where the troops will be redeployed rests with the adjutant general of the California National Guard, according to the official. The California Military Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on where the released troops will be sent.
Last week, the governor highlighted the dangers of keeping the National Guard troops in Los Angeles while the Guard’s firefighting crews, known as Task Force Rattlesnake, are “critically understaffed.” On Monday, he said federalization of the Guard already has affected firefighting efforts, leaving the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to step in to fill the gaps.
Even though weather conditions this weekend weren’t ripe for wildfire, several blazes broke out across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Task Force Rattlesnake consists of 300 National Guard members who work at the direction of Cal Fire to combat and prevent fires. Eight of the task force’s 14 firefighting crews have been diverted to Los Angeles for protest duty, according to the governor’s office.
Multiple wildfires burned across Southern California on Monday and Tuesday, including the Wolf and Juniper fires in Riverside County, which have scorched more than 2,400 and 680 acres, respectively, according to Cal Fire. Meanwhile, areas of Northern California were under a red flag warning as the National Weather Service warned that high temperatures, gusty winds and erratic thunderstorms would bring elevated fire danger through 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Experts have been warning that the region’s below-average rainy season is likely to set the stage for a particularly bad stretch of fires this summer and fall.
Although Newsom praised the release of the 150 troops, he urged that the rest of the force be returned to California’s command.
Last month, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a temporary restraining order that would have returned control of the National Guard to Newsom. The court ruled that Trump may continue to control military troops in Los Angeles while Newsom’s objections to their deployment are litigated in a federal court.
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