SACRAMENTO, Calif. — President Trump reassigned about 32% of the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force to protests in Los Angeles, leaving the state’s ports of entry open to drug trafficking, according to an article on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s website.
The Governor Gavin Newsom Website (GGNW) addressed Trump’s controversial decision to relocate CalGuard service members to Los Angeles in response to ICE protests. Several hundred service members sent to Los Angeles had previously been stationed at California ports of entry to combat drug and fentanyl trafficking.
California has invested $60 million since 2021 in CalGuard’s drug and fentanyl interdiction efforts, the GGNW reported. The CalGuard’s Counterdrug Task Force was established to prevent transnational criminal organizations from trafficking drugs.
To crack down on fentanyl in California, Newsom more than doubled the number of service members working on interdiction efforts, the GGNW stated. In 2024, nearly 400 service members were deployed to ports of entry.
The CalGuard has seized nearly 31,000 pounds of fentanyl and more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, with a street value of more than $450 million, the GGNW reported. The Counterdrug Task Force has been working to prevent the smuggling of deadly narcotics into communities across the state.
According to the GGNW, Trump’s “militarization of Los Angeles” has undermined CalGuard’s capacity to conduct fentanyl interdiction. The reassignment removed about 450 service members from drug enforcement duties and sent them to join 4,000 other CalGuard troops in Los Angeles.
In response to what the GGNW called Trump’s “takeover of the CalGuard,” an amicus brief was filed by former Navy and Army secretaries, along with retired four-star admirals and generals. These former military leaders condemned the decision to redeploy the CalGuard to Los Angeles protests.
The military officials argued the reassignment threatens emergency readiness, endangers Americans, and politicizes the military. The brief stated that deploying the CalGuard domestically in this manner contradicts core military values and compromises the safety and integrity of U.S. forces.
Veterans have also voiced opposition to the Trump administration’s actions. According to the GGNW, veterans who served in prior conflicts criticized Trump’s “illegal militarization” and cited their own military experience as evidence that the decision was both hypocritical and dangerous.
Newsom denounced Trump’s move as a threat to public safety in Los Angeles, the GGNW reported. “Whether it’s fentanyl takedown operations or wildfire response, the California National Guard plays a critical role in protecting our communities—and Trump is deliberately undermining that work,” Newsom said.
According to the GGNW, the reassignment has had broader impacts beyond drug interdiction efforts. The Youth and Community Programs Task Force and California’s wildfire response capabilities have also been hindered by the loss of personnel.
The CalGuard’s Task Force Torch program was created to promote positive transformation through outreach and engagement with underserved communities, according to the CalGuard website. The program partners CalGuard cadets with the California Military Department to offer educational and developmental opportunities.
The GGNW reported that 140 service members assigned to Task Force Torch have been affected by Trump’s redeployment order. These service members support youth and community outreach programs across the state.
California’s wildfire response has also been impacted, the GGNW asserted. Task Force Rattlesnake, a wildfire mitigation crew of more than 300 CalGuard members, supports Cal Fire in forest management and emergency response.
Trump’s orders resulted in eight of Task Force Rattlesnake’s 14 teams being reassigned to Los Angeles, the GGNW reported. As a result, the task force is operating at only 40% capacity. Cal Fire is working to “fill the gaps left by the guard’s understaffing,” the article stated.
The remaining six teams continue to support Cal Fire in responding to wildfires across the state, but the reduced presence is straining the state’s emergency preparedness efforts, according to the GGNW.
