The Pentagon has initiated another phase of troop withdrawals from Los Angeles, reducing the National Guard presence to approximately 250 soldiers, according to an update from Fox LA. This action follows previously reported drawdowns, with 1,350 troops having recently been released from duty in the city, as announced by the Pentagon. The decrease in military presence coincides with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrating the news, stating on social media, "Another win for Los Angeles tonight," and vowing to maintain the pressure on the higher echelons of power.
These latest movements come after a considerable deployment was initiated by the Trump administration in June 2025, in the midst of large-scale anti-ICE protests throughout the region; Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass explicitly opposed the federal action. In response to ongoing negotiations and public demands, an earlier released Pentagon statement details that 2,000 National Guard troops plus an additional contingent of 700 Marines were previously directed to exit Los Angeles, yet signals from the defense sector hint at an undecided timeline for the final batch of service members who are relegated to securing federal staff and premises, the ABC7 report outlined.
Concurrently, an impassioned plea was issued by California's Governor Newsom, demanding the remaining National Guard soldiers, estimated at around 300 by his office, be released, as detailed on the official government website. Newsom invoked the toll on the soldiers' personal lives, their civilian careers, and the overall societal impact amidst their prolonged deployment in Los Angeles, underscoring the considerable figure of 4,700 soldiers who have commenced demobilization previously.
This reduction of military personnel has not arrived without concerns; Governor Newsom highlighted the negative economic repercussions of such federal actions, drawing parallels to the drop in workforce engagement during COVID-19 lockdowns, as well as the potential for a $275 billion economic setback paired with a substantial loss of tax revenue; these concerns echo findings from a recent UCLA Anderson forecast, Newsom's office conveyed that the presence of National Guard troops has forcibly pulled vital service members from diverse fields ranging from healthcare to education to law enforcement, all sectors now reeling from an abrupt loss of dedicated professionals; all these civic contributions are being overshadowed by what is broadly critiqued as an excessively militarized response to the protests," implying a deep longing for a return to civil ordinariness, something many former governors and military leaders have petitioned for in their support of state sovereignty over federal overreach, as they've expressed in various legal briefs. Meanwhile, Mayor Bass remains committed to "continue this pressure until ALL troops are out of L.A.," as she shared on her official X Post.
.jpg){kind=link}