National Guard Firefighters Return to Frontlines After being Deployed to LA

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office released a press release on July 1 stating that fire fighters that are members of the National Guard have been returned to active duty in the areas in the state most vulnerable to fire. They were previously deployed to Los Angeles as part of the Trump administration’s assault on the city of LA, which included ICE arresting immigrants in their place of work, and bringing down military might on anyone who dares to protest.

The firefighters are part of Operation Rattle Snake, a task force of more than 300 Cal Guard members who partner with CAL FIRE to prevent and fight wildfires. This includes clearing brush, cutting fire lines, and working on the frontlines during peak fire season.

For several weeks, more than half the task force was instead in LA, under Trump’s order. This reduced the remaining firefighters to 40% capacity.

This comes on the heels of Newsom’s request that the Trump administration do more to better manage the 57% of forestland in the State of California that is owned by the federal government.

But even with the firefighters returned to active duty, there are still nearly 5,000 soldiers, including National Guard members, still deployed in LA to crack down on any resistance to Trump’s agenda. The national guard members deployed to LA include 385 medical and first responders, 370 service workers, 355 police, law enforcement and corrections officials, and 158 educators and teachers.