(Adnkronos) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 National Guard troops who were mobilized last year following protests in Los Angeles in response to raids to arrest migrants in Los Angeles. “Thanks to our troops who answered the call, lawlessness in Los Angeles has been quelled,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, announcing Hegseth’s order.
Half of the 4,000 troops Donald Trump sent to the Democratic-led city and state are being demobilized, sparking protests and resistance from local authorities, particularly Governor Gavin Newsom, who denounced the “assault” on democracy, evoking “authoritarian regimes” that “begin by targeting those least able to defend themselves.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who dismissed the deployment of troops for a situation handled by local police as an unnecessary abuse of federal power, stressed that “the people of Los Angeles have remained united and strong, we have organized peaceful protests, we have been together at rallies, we have challenged the Trump administration in court and all of this has led to today’s withdrawal.”
