150 National Guard troops reassigned from Los Angeles security mission to wildfire response

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Some of the California National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles last month in response to immigration protests were pulled off that federal duty, US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) said Tuesday.

"At the recommendation of Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and approved by the Secretary of Defense, Task Force 51 will release approximately 150 members of the California National Guard from the Federal Protection mission today," NORTHCOM said in a statement.

The command said that Task Force 51 is "still appropriately sourced" to conduct its mission.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that "our firefighters are finally returning to fight wildfires. Better late than never."

The US assigned roughly 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to the streets of Los Angeles following the eruption of protests on June 6, in defiance of warnings from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that the action would only serve to further inflame already-heightened tensions.

The protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown intensified in Los Angeles and spread to more than a dozen US cities, including Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio