The Department of Defense has withdrawn the roughly 700 active-duty Marines deployed to Los Angeles to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions amid violent riots.
In addition to deploying the Marines, the Trump administration federalized about 4,000 National Guard soldiers.
About 2,000 National Guard troops were withdrawn from the city last week.
"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," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said, according to Fox News.
"Their rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law. We’re deeply grateful for their service, and for the strength and professionalism they brought to this mission," he added.
The 700 active-duty Marines who were deployed to Los Angeles as a result of last month's protests against immigration enforcement across the region will be leaving, the Pentagon says. https://t.co/LArsDoYfDS pic.twitter.com/7sDNSpWDYn
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 21, 2025
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for deploying California National Guard troops despite his opposition. He argued that the National Guard troops were likely violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits troops from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil.
Newsom won an early victory in the case after a federal judge ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and exceeded Trump’s authority. An appeals court tossed that order, and control of the troops remained with the federal government. The federal court is set to hear arguments next month on whether the troops are violating the Posse Comitatus Act.
The deployment of National Guard troops was for 60 days, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the discretion to shorten or extend it "to flexibly respond to the evolving situation on the ground," the Trump administration’s lawyers wrote in a June 23 filing in the legal case.
"The Marines are withdrawing. This is another win for Los Angeles," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote.
Check it out:
The Marines are withdrawing.
This is another win for Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/g38dhFjXPY
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 21, 2025
The Guardian noted:
The battalion of marines was deployed on 9 June to join the 2,100 national guard troops mobilized by the Trump administration to help protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents. An additional 4,000 national guard soldiers were also deployed.
The marines’ presence in the city had been limited to two locations with federal buildings in Los Angeles, including the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and detention facility downtown.
At the time, the press office of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, called the mobilization of marines “completely unwarranted, uncalled for and unprecedented”.
“Trump is escalating this situation even further – deploying active duty marines, the ‘best of the best’, against their own countrymen in an American city,” the governor’s office wrote in a follow-up post. “Completely unnecessary and only inflames the situation more.”
Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, had threatened a lawsuit against the Trump administration for “unlawfully” federalizing the state’s national guard and deploying its troops to quell the protests.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Pentagon had defended the deployment, saying safeguarding Ice agents ensures they can do their jobs.
ABC7 provided additional coverage:
