Pete Hegseth orders the removal of 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the removal of 2,000 National Guard troops who were mobilized in response to protests in Los Angeles last month over immigration raids, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.

"Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding," chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops came after a series of raids by immigration authorities in Los Angeles prompted sometimes-violent protests in parts of the city that were quelled with arrests and the use of "less lethal" weapons.

The Trump administration's decision to deploy the troops drew fierce criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called it an "assault" on Democracy and invoked "authoritarian regimes" who "begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves."

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