In a significant development, approximately 700 U.S. Marines are set to be withdrawn from Los Angeles, as announced by the Pentagon on Monday. This decision follows the release of around 2,000 federalized National Guard troops from their immigration-related duties in the same city last week.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated, “With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
The withdrawal, which signifies a return to normalcy, is anticipated to be completed as early as Tuesday.
This announcement came after a press conference held in Sylmar, where Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and state Senator Caroline Mejivar expressed their approval of the decision to redeploy the Marines.
“We just had a press conference calling for the removal of all of the troops, and we just got word that the Marines will be able to go back to their families and will be leaving Los Angeles,” Mayor Bass reported.
She added, “I’d like to say that they heard from the people of Los Angeles.”
Senator Mejivar, a former Marine Corps member, emphasized that the troop deployment was unwarranted.
“I’m so glad to hear my brothers and sisters are going back to their base,” she remarked.
At the press conference, which included other veterans and families of service members, Bass underscored the need for the National Guard to assist with upcoming fire season preparations rather than focusing on immigration enforcement and protests.
“The administration, we know, has retreated some of the forces, but we need all the troops to return home and to not be here, to not be used as political stunts, to not be used to intimidate Angelenos, and to not be used as pawns,” she stated.
Mejivar shared similar sentiments, stating, “This is why it was so personal and infuriating to me to see 700 of my brothers and sisters in the corps deployed to my backyard because we did not sign up to intimidate and potentially take military action against Americans on American soil, who are exercising their constitutional right to protest.”
As a veteran from 2009 to 2016, she also criticized the Trump administration for the significant taxpayer expenditure linked to the troop deployment, noting it amounted to about $134 million.
Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of the Vet Voice Foundation and a former Marine Corps combat engineer officer, highlighted that deploying active-duty Marines and National Guard troops for domestic immigration enforcement is not typical.
“It is a break with longstanding norms and a decision that should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation,” Goldbeck warned.
She further elaborated, “The job of the American military is to fight and win wars, not police American neighborhoods. When we blur that line, we don’t just risk overreach. We risk something deeper, the erosion of public trust in both our armed forces and in our democratic institutions.”
On June 7, President Donald Trump ordered the federalization of 2,000 National Guard troops from California to be deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal facilities and personnel, following protests that erupted in the area.
These protests were primarily in response to sweeping immigration raids and other enforcement actions.
An additional 2,000 troops were subsequently added to that deployment, complemented by 700 U.S. Marines assigned to guard federal property.
Recently, the number of federalized California National Guard troops in Los Angeles was reduced to 2,000 following a previous withdrawal.
In a broadcast interview on Sunday, Bass renewed her criticism of the Trump administration’s hardline stance on illegal immigration in the city, stating that LA relies heavily on immigrant labor.
“Because we are a city of immigrants, we have entire sectors of our economy that are dependent on immigrant labor. We have to get the fire areas rebuilt. We’re not going to get our city rebuilt without immigrant labor,” Bass explained during an appearance on ABC News’ “The Week.”
Mayor Bass has been an outspoken advocate for halting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids within the city, initiated on June 6.
She, alongside Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats, has accused the Trump administration of targeting individuals based on their racial background, allegations that the government has denied.
Bass claims that most individuals being detained during local raids are law-abiding residents, despite their immigration status.
White House officials have consistently defended the troop deployments.
“President Trump is fulfilling the promise he was elected on — carrying out the largest mass deportation operation of criminal illegal aliens,” stated Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, in an email to City News Service.
She continued, “While Karen Bass continues to support dangerous policies that put Americans at risk, ICE is removing threats from our streets. Just recently in Los Angeles, ICE arrested a criminal illegal alien with a conviction for second-degree murder, indecent exposure, and a final deportation order from 2012.”
Jackson emphasized that ICE is acting to ensure public safety, countering claims made by Bass that she wants dangerous criminals to remain in the country.
When questioned on ABC about who should be deported, Bass initially did not provide a direct answer but mentioned that even lawful residents and U.S. citizens have experienced detention.
“Immigrants who have their papers and were showing up for their annual immigration appointment were detained when they showed up doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing,” she said.
When pressed on whether nearly one million undocumented workers in Los Angeles should be allowed to stay, Bass replied, “This is what I think. … What I take it we need is comprehensive immigration reform.”
Bass acknowledged past legislative failures on this issue during her time in the House of Representatives but cited a proposed immigration bill in 2024 with bipartisan support that ultimately failed due to opposition from Trump, who was then a presidential candidate.
“After I left, there was an immigration reform bill that had bipartisan support. This was during the campaign. The president decided he didn’t want to have it happen because he didn’t want immigration reform to happen where he didn’t take credit for it,” she reflected.
The mayor continued, “Let me just tell you that the people that make that trek, many of whom walk from Central America and even South America up to our border, risk their lives. I don’t believe that all of these people are sitting at home dreaming of coming to Los Angeles. They’re coming here out of desperation.”
Despite the drop in illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border since Trump took office in January, Bass was pressed to identify any positive actions taken by the Trump administration regarding border policy.
“I will heap praise on the administration for the first six months in Los Angeles with the fires. If you ask me, is there anything that they have done good in terms of immigration? I don’t know. I don’t think so,” she replied.
Bass criticized the approach to immigration as punitive, arguing that it is designed to deter individuals from attempting to come to the U.S. through harsh measures.
“I have a request in to speak with Trump administration officials about the raids and the ongoing National Guard deployment in the city, but have not had any conversations recently,” she noted.
“I want to work with the administration to solve this problem. We have the World Cup in 11 short months here. We have the Olympics and Paralympics coming in three short years,” she expressed.
“I know that these games are very important to the president, and I look forward to working with him. We have an extreme difference on this issue, but there are many issues for us to work on. And I will continue trying to outreach to the administration and hope that at some point they’ll be responsive.”
image source from：timesofsandiego
