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California Army National Guard members provide protection to federal law enforcement personnel, property, and function during a federal operation in Los Angeles, June 13, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop deploying California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and return control of the service members to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The order was handed down by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco after California officials argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first took command of the troops and deployed them in June.
More than 4,000 California National Guard troops were initially called up but that number had dropped to several hundred by late October. Around 100 troops remain in the Los Angeles area.
The Republican administration extended the deployment until February while also trying to use California Guard members in Portland, Oregon as part of its effort to send the military into Democratic-run cities over the objections of mayors and governors.
U.S. Justice Department lawyers said the administration still needed Guard members in the Los Angeles area to help protect federal personnel and property.
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