The military commander of the National Guard troops deployed to respond to immigration-related unrest in the Los Angeles area has asked the Trump administration to return 200 troops to California’s command, a U.S. official told The Times.
The request, first reported by the Associated Press, comes 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 also decreased since demonstrations began on June 6 in response to a series of surprise immigration raids.
Although the head of the Guard’s U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Gregory Guillot, initiated the conversation with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to return the 200 troops, the decision about where they will be redeployed rests with the adjutant general of the California National Guard, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as no decision has been announced publicly. The California Military Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on where the troops would be sent should the request be approved.
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.
“We’re glad to see the top military commander overseeing Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles agree: it’s time to pull back National Guard troops and get them back to their critical firefighting duties,” Newsom said in a Monday statement. “President Trump: listen to your military leaders and stop the political theater.
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 has already affected firefighting efforts, leaving the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to step in to fill the gaps.
Task Force Rattlesnake consists of 300 National Guard members who work at the direction of Cal Fire to combat and prevent fires. Eight of 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, including the Wolf and Juniper fires in Riverside County, which had burned more than 2,400 and 680 acres respectively by 3:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire.
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.
The post U.S. military asks Trump administration to return some National Guard troops to California command appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
