Gov. Newsom blasts Donald Trump over partial National Guard withdrawal

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s partial withdrawal of 2,000 California National Guard troops from Los Angeles this week is not enough, arguing it does nothing to stop the immigration raids he says have spread fear and chaos in immigrant communities.

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On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it would pull back roughly half of the 4,000 guard members federalized in June—deployed after mass immigration raids sparked widespread protests, a downtown-area curfew and a legal battle with the state. While federal officials cited an easing of unrest, Newsom said the administration was continuing to use military force to intimidate immigrants. The state, meanwhile, is still pursuing its legal challenge to the federal deployment.

“We still have thousands of National Guards,” Newsom said Wednesday during a press conference. “They are still waiting for the Pentagon to get their act together, to end this theater once and for all.”

He added: “This cruelty, it’s about terrorizing communities. It’s about appearing tough, I’ve said it and I’ll repeat it, weakness masquerading as strength.”

Newsom’s press conference was held at Downey Memorial Christian Church in Los Angeles, the site of a reported immigration arrest last month.

“It’s an example of what’s occurring, and it’s an example of what’s occurring all over here in Southern California,” Newsom said, “what’s occurred at a level we’ve not seen in modern times.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks on the federal government’s demobilization of 2,000 National Guard members, as well as the effect of immigration raids across California during a press conference in Downey on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the partial drawdown Tuesday, saying unrest in Los Angeles had subsided.

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement. “As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen from the federal protection mission.”

Even after Tuesday’s reduction, about 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines remain in the city.

The Trump administration initially deployed the troops in early June in response to mass protests over intensified immigration enforcement. Demonstrators took to the streets after surprise ICE raids across Los Angeles, which immigrant advocates called indiscriminate and traumatic. Some protests turned violent, with demonstrators blocking freeways and throwing projectiles at officers, who used tear gas and rubber bullets in response.

Just last week, heavily armed federal agents and mounted officers appeared at MacArthur Park to support an immigration operation. Homeland Security declined to confirm arrests or share details, but local officials called the show of force an attempt to intimidate and sow fear in immigrant neighborhoods.

Beyond guarding federal buildings, hundreds of soldiers have also accompanied immigration officers on raids at public and at workplaces, fueling tensions in a city with one of the nation’s largest immigrant populations.

Newsom has repeatedly denounced the deployment as reckless and unconstitutional, suing the Trump administration over what he called a breach of state sovereignty and a likely violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the military from domestic law enforcement. An early federal court ruling in Newsom’s favor was overturned on appeal, with further arguments set for next month.

Trump officials, meanwhile, defended the deployment as necessary to maintain order and protect federal facilities.The White House has maintained the military presence is essential to protect federal personnel and ensure immigration laws are enforced. The president himself has contended that “there has been an invasion” of migrants entering the country without legal permission.

Meanwhile, immigration raids have continued to roil Southern California. ICE operations have targeted workplaces, car washes, bus stops, immigration courts and other businesses, even detaining U.S. citizens in some cases. The sweeps have sparked mass protests and calls from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials for the federal government to stand down.

“This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong,” Bass said in a statement Tuesday after the Pentagon’s announcement. “We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in LA, but throughout our country.”

A federal judge last week also barred the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, including Los Angeles, finding the Department of Homeland Security had detained people without probable cause and targeted them based on race, language or occupation.