About 150 members of the National Guard who were deployed to address protests in California will be released to return to wildland firefighting duties in the state, Department of Defense officials said Tuesday.
Scripps News has confirmed that NORTHCOM commander Gen. Gregory Guillot - who's overseeing the deployment of the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to California - requested 200 troops be reassigned from their current task of immigration protection duties.
On Tuesday NORTHCOM confirmed "approximately 150" members of the National Guard would be released from federal protection duties, where more than 4,000 members of the National Guard have been guarding federal buildings and providing security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while they perform immigration raids.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has for weeks criticized President Donald Trump's federalization of National Guard forces, particularly because of how it has depleted firefighting crews in the state. Newsom says President Trump's orders retasked eight of 14 National Guard firefighting crews at a time when wildfire risks in the state are near their highest.
In a statement on Monday, Gov. Newsom welcomed the change.
"We’re glad to see the top military commander overseeing Trump's illegal militarization of Los Angeles agree: it’s time to pull back National Guard troops and get them back to their critical firefighting duties. President Trump: listen to your military leaders, and stop the political theater.”
