The Pentagon announced Tuesday that half of the nearly 4,000 National Guard troops stationed in the Los Angeles area will be relieved of their duties. This comes about six weeks after they began deploying due to the clashes, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The move comes after a protracted legal battle over whether the Trump administration has the right to deploy the troops and sharp criticism from state and local leaders that the military is not needed to deal with the anti-immigration protests that have resulted in about 3,000 arrests.
President Trump justified the troops as necessary, citing scattered unrest during the first few days of the immigration protests. But the protests calmed down relatively quickly and were largely controlled by local police. The National Guard ended up largely protecting federal buildings.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to be released from what officials called a "federal protection mission." The initial deployment orders were for 60 days, which could have continued until early August.
"Thanks to our troops who responded to the call, lawlessness in Los Angeles is receding," Parnell said in a statement.
Hegseth and the Trump administration federalized more than 4,000 California National Guard troops in an unprecedented show of force that local leaders have repeatedly said has only inflamed the situation.
About 3,000 troops remain in the area.
After learning of the troop reductions on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for all remaining military personnel in Los Angeles to be sent home.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has repeatedly condemned the troop deployment, celebrated the withdrawal of troops.
At a press conference Tuesday night, Bass said the troops were "deployed unnecessarily" and "used as a prop" by the Trump administration.
"This is a victory, a result of our city being strong and united, Bass said. I hope this is the beginning of a full withdrawal."
Some of the deployed troops have been assisting federal agents as they conduct immigration enforcement operations, although military officials say the troops have no law enforcement authority. The National Guard played a role in both the convoy that descended on MacArthur Park last week and the raid on cannabis farms in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved a request from the U.S. military to release 150 National Guard members from their mission in Los Angeles to allow them to return to their regular duties with the Guard's wildfire-fighting unit. That unit had been operating at only 40% of its regular strength due to the deployment of troops to Los Angeles.
Newsom hailed it as a victory. "Our firefighters are finally back to fight wildfires. Better late than never," Newsom said on X in early July. "Now - send the rest home."
In June, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco ruled that Trump violated the law when he mobilized thousands of members of the California National Guard against the state's will.
In a 36-page U.S. District Court ruling, Breyer wrote that Trump's actions "were unlawful - both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution." Breyer added that he was "troubled by the implication" inherent in the Trump administration's argument that "protesting against the federal government, a fundamental civil liberties protected by the First Amendment, can justify a finding of riot".
But the Appeals Court stayed that ruling, allowing the troops to remain in Los Angeles while the case is heard in federal court.