Los Angeles, California - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of some 1,350 National Guard troops from a controversial mission in Los Angeles, leaving about 250 in the city, the Pentagon said Thursday.

It is the latest withdrawal announced as the Pentagon winds down its deployment of National Guard and Marines to Democratic-led Los Angeles, which President Donald Trump ordered last month against the wishes of city and state politicians.

Hegseth on Wednesday "ordered the release of approximately 1,350 California National Guardsmen from the federal protection mission," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

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"Approximately 250 California National Guardsmen remain in Los Angeles to protect federal personnel and property," he said, adding: "We greatly appreciate the support of the more than 5,000 Guardsmen and Marines who mobilized to Los Angeles."

As a so-called "sanctuary city" with hundreds of thousands of undocumented people, Los Angeles has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration since the Republican returned to office in January.

After aggressive deportation raids spurred unrest and protests last month, Trump – who repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest – dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell the demonstrations.

It was the first time since 1965 that a president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor.