U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the removal of half of the 4,000 National Guard troops who had been sent to Los Angeles to protect federal property and personnel during a spate of protests last month,

The Trump administration is cutting the number of National Guard members in the Los Angeles area by 2,000 after their deployment last month in response to immigration protests, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

President Trump mobilized the troops on June 7 in the wake of chaotic protests. They have remained in Southern California several weeks after most of the demonstrations had ended.