Roughly 700 Marines sent to the Los Angeles area have been released from that duty, six weeks after Marines were first ordered to the city, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the Marines currently deployed to Los Angeles would be returning home, adding that “We’re deeply grateful for their service, and for the strength and professionalism they brought to this mission.”
The decision effectively ends the Marine Corps’ involvement in Task Force 51, the organization set up by U.S. Northern Command to oversee the military’s mission in Los Angeles. On July 1, the 700 Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division that were originally ordered to the Los Angeles area rotated out. They were replaced with 400 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, a spokesperson for NORTHCOM told Task & Purpose at the time.
The move comes a week after the Pentagon released 2,000 members of the California National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which followed the release of 150 Guardsmen on July 1, to assist in state firefighting efforts.
President Donald Trump ordered members of the California National Guard to be federalized on June 7 under Title 10 of the U.S. Code in response to protests in Los Angeles against immigration raids carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. About 4,100 California National Guard soldiers from the 79th Infantry BCT and the 49th Military Police Brigade were placed under the command of Task Force 51. Their mission was, officially, to protect federal personnel and buildings, but not to take part in law enforcement.
Marines were first ordered to mobilize to Los Angeles on June 9. Pentagon officials claimed the Marines were needed immediately while the National Guard filed in. However, most spent several days outside of Los Angeles as the units trained on crowd control techniques before eventually moving into Los Angeles.
While some National Guard soldiers have accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol agents on immigration raids around Los Angeles and the greater Southern California area, Marines have stayed at federal buildings.
Top Stories This Week
In their six weeks in the Los Angeles area, the Marines have largely avoided both police actions and publicity. In the operation’s early days, Marines briefly detained an Army veteran after he briefly entered the grounds of the Wilshire federal building on his way to an appointment on the nearby Veteran Affairs campus.
Roughly 2,000 National Guard troops remain in the Los Angeles area under Task Force 51.
