Trump's National Guard Troops Deployed for LA Protests Are Still
Members of the California National Guard stand outside the Federal Building as people continue to protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles. Hundreds of National Guard members on the ground remain unpaid as paperwork formally activating the mission is stalled.

Thousands of National Guard soldiers deployed in Los Angeles are waiting on pay and benefits because of delays in paperwork authorizing their activation.

President Donald Trump sent roughly 4,000 Guard members into LA to respond to protests against ICE enforcement operations, but more than a dozen troops across four units have yet to receive the official paperwork activating their duty status, according to a Military.com report. Without those orders, soldiers are not eligible for pay, health care under Tricare, or VA benefits.

Defense officials acknowledged that the sudden scale of the deployment has overwhelmed normal administrative channels. While backpay is expected once the paperwork catches up, the delay is already causing anxiety among troops juggling personal finances and family responsibilities.

Some part-time Guardsmen said they left higher-paying civilian jobs without knowing how much they would earn or whether they would qualify for housing allowances — which can range from $3,000 to $5,000 per month in the LA area, depending on rank.

Service members also described poor living conditions, including sleeping on cots outdoors and irregular access to food and fuel. The mission, expected to last 60 days, is estimated to cost taxpayers $134 million, according to Pentagon officials.

"You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep," California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has vocally opposed the deployment of federal forces, wrote on X. "If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you."

One Guard officer, speaking anonymously, said morale was suffering. Typically, the Guard is deployed into communities to provide aid and is in turn, bolstered by donations from businesses and restaurants. "This is a situation [where] we're against the community," the officer told Military.com.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the mission in a House budget hearing on Tuesday, hinting at an increased reliance on domestic National Guard deployment.

"I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland," Hegseth said. "Where the National Guard and reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland."

Originally published on Latin Times

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