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The National Guard military commander deployed to address immigration-related unrest in the Los Angeles area has called on the Trump administration to return 200 troops to California’s command, U.S. officials told the Times.
The request first reported by the Associated Press is because fire season is back and National Guard units assigned to fight wildfires are at just 40% of their normal staffing levels, according to the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. The level of protest-related anxiety has been declining since demonstrations began on June 6th in response to a series of surprising migrant attacks.
General Gregory Guillott, the US Northern Commander of Security Guards, has begun a conversation with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses to return the 200-man army, but decisions about where they will be repositioned are resting with the vice-general of the California National Guard. The California Military Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment on where the military would be sent if the request was approved.
One of the most outspoken people about calling for the National Guard’s return to California Command is Newsom, who calls the federation of President Trump’s 4,000-plus troops illegal and continues to fight their deployment in court.
“It’s nice to see the top military commanders who oversee Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles agree. Now is the time to pull back the National Guard troops and return them to their critical fire obligations,” Newsmom said in a statement Monday. “President Trump: Listen to your military leaders and stop the political theatre.
Last week, the governor stressed the dangers of maintaining National Guard troops in Los Angeles, and the security firefighters are “critical understaffed.” On Monday, he said federalization of the security forces has already affected fire operations, and that the California Department of Forestry and the Fire Prevention Department are intervening to fill the gap.
The Task Force’s rattle heve is made up of 300 National Guard members who work in the direction of Cal fires to combat and prevent fires. Eight of the task force’s 14 firefighters were converted to Los Angeles for mandatory protests, according to the governor’s office.
Multiple wildfires burned in Southern California on Monday, including a wolf and juniper fire in Riverside County, which burned more than 2,400 acres each in Riverside County, according to Cal Fire.
Experts warn that the sub-average rainy season in the area is likely to set the stage for particularly bad stretches of fires this summer and fall.
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