Trump deployed 2,000 more National Guard to Los Angeles after protests end, directed ICE to target Democratic-run cities

On June 17, 2025, the Pentagon activated an additional 2,000 California National Guard troops from the 49th Military Police Brigade for deployment to Los Angeles, even as the downtown curfew was being lifted and the protests that had initially prompted federal involvement had largely subsided. The NORTHCOM authorization was written without geographic constraints, extending potential federal military reach across Southern California beyond the city of Los Angeles itself.

On the same day, President Trump posted to Truth Social directing the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to "prioritize" deportation operations in Democratic-run cities, explicitly naming Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. Trump also reversed a June 12 pause he had placed on agricultural, hotel, and restaurant worksite enforcement raids. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had already stayed a district court temporary restraining order that had blocked the original deployment, leaving the federal military presence in Los Angeles without a court-ordered limit.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass objected to the continued and expanded military presence, stating publicly that the city did not want federal troops deployed there. The escalation followed a period during which the initial civil unrest justifying the deployment had wound down, indicating that the sustained and expanded troop presence reflected a political decision rather than an operational response to ongoing disorder.