LOS ANGELES (AP) — On Monday, the Pentagon directed the U.S. Marines to withdraw from Los Angeles, following more than a month of their presence after being sent by President Donald Trump, despite local leaders’ disapproval.
The deployment involved 700 Marines on June 9, in response to protests in downtown LA concerning the administration’s approach to immigration. Additionally, 4,000 National Guard troops were also dispatched.
While in the city, the Marines were restricted to two federal building sites in Los Angeles, such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and a detention facility downtown. At one point, outside a federal complex in west LA, they briefly detained a man who claimed he was hurrying to a Veterans Affairs appointment.
The decision to pull back the Marines comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. The rest remain.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference Monday morning ahead of the announcement with several leaders of veteran groups who raised concerns about the deployment of military troops on domestic soil. They called for the remainder of troops to be withdrawn from Los Angeles.
“This is another win for Los Angeles but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the federal government in June over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump violated the law when he activated the troops without notifying him. Newsom also asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids.
While a lower court ordered Trump to return control of the Guard to California, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month temporarily blocked the judge’s order.
Newsom originally included the Marines in the lawsuit, but the case has primarily focused on the Guard since.
In response to the Pentagon’s announcement pulling back the Marines, Newsom reiterated his call for the remaining Guard troops to be sent home as well.
“The women and men of the California National Guard deserve more than to continue serving as puppets in Trump and Stephen Miller’s performative political theater,” Newsom said in a statement. “There was never a need for the military to deploy against civilians in Los Angeles.”
Local authorities have disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of the city as a “war zone.”
The protests in Los Angeles have been largely limited to a few blocks downtown containing City Hall, federal buildings and an immigration detention facility. Demonstrations in the city and the region in recent weeks have been largely small impromptu protests around arrests.
In one of the most raucous days of protest, thousands of people took to the streets June 8 in response to Trump’s deployment of the Guard, blocking off a major freeway as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Photos captured several Waymo robotaxis set on fire.
A day later, police officers used flash bangs and shot projectiles as they pushed protesters through Little Tokyo, where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way.
Bass set a curfew in place for about a week that she said had successfully protected businesses and helped restore order.
