The US Department of Defense has revealed that a portion of the California National Guard, previously mobilized and sent to Los Angeles in reaction to public disorder triggered by immigration law enforcement measures, will revert to their regular responsibilities. This breaking news was promptly acknowledged by the leaders from Southern California as this involves the release from federal tasks for 2,000 of their National Guard soldiers previously federalized and commissioned to work in Los Angeles.
Earlier this June, a significant number, around 4,000, of California National Guard forces along with an auxiliary of 700 active Marines were mobilized by President Donald Trump as reactions to anti-immigration law enforcement demonstrations began to intensify, specifically within the vicinity of Los Angeles.
The President’s directive stated that half of these Guard forces, specifically 2,000 soldiers, were to be transferred under federal jurisdiction. Their assignment involved serving in Los Angeles, not in a police capacity rather to safeguard federal buildings and personnel, primarily due to the protests majorly concentrated within the city’s downtown district.
Later on, this deployment was bolstered with an additional force of 2,000 guardsmen and 700 Marines from the United States. Immigration law enforcement endeavors in the early days of June, especially in Los Angeles and the neighboring Orange counties, instigated these protests and caused widespread angst among numerous immigrant households.
High ranking defense officials indicated that, apart from a fleet comprising of over a dozen military vehicles, approximately 90 members from the California National Guard who had been deputized were present on the scene to provide additional security measures for immigration officers executing their raid at a local park. However, the city’s official stand on this event maintained that, contrary to expectations, there were no prevailing arrests made at the park.
Despite not revealing whether any arrests were executed or shedding light on the specific operation which took place, the Department of Homeland Security maintained a certain degree of confidentiality around the event. The consequences of such deployments, however, were felt by the community, both legal citizens and immigrants.
This decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles has resulted in immense personal and professional upheaval for the soldiers who were pulled from their daily lives, their civilian positions, and their families in order to serve in a turbulent environment.
Though the dispatching of guardsmen had raised concerns locally, President Trump defended his action, stating that the country is encountering a surge of migrants entering the nation without valid authorization, and thus referred to it as a metaphorical ‘invasion’. The local governing bodies were up in arms against this deployment, formally contesting it in court.
The judicial decision came in the form of a unanimous, thorough 38-page verdict from a panel of three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The judges concluded that current conditions in the L.A. area indeed warranted the President’s decision to mobilize these troops.
Moreover, it should be noted that this three-judge panel comprised of two appointees nominated personally by President Trump alongside one other nominated by previous President Joe Biden. With conditions as they are now, the troops’ presence is being seen by many as more of a tension-raising action than a peace-keeping one.