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Fact check: National guard 29 days block benefits Los Angeles California deployment
1. Summary of the results
The deployment involves approximately 2,000 National Guard troops federalized under Title 10 authority to Los Angeles, California [1], along with 700 Marines on high alert [2]. The deployment was ordered by President Trump against Governor Gavin Newsom's objections, specifically to protect ICE officials during immigration protests [1]. Regarding benefits, National Guard members' Operational Deployment Pay (ODP) does indeed stop after 30 consecutive days of absence from the operational area [3].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several crucial contextual elements were missing from the original statement:
- This marks the first deployment since the 1960s where National Guard troops have been activated without a governor's consent [4]
- The deployment duration is set for 60 days, not 29 days [2]
- National Guard troops are explicitly not authorized to arrest civilians [2]
- Historical context shows that while such deployments have sometimes restored peace, they have also intensified community tensions in some cases [5]
- Former National Guard leader William Enyart has described this deployment as unprecedented and potentially an overreaction, noting that the Guard typically isn't trained for protest control [4]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original statement appears to conflate several issues and contains potential misleading elements:
- The focus on "29 days" appears to be related to benefits timing, but the actual deployment is planned for 60 days [2]
- The statement doesn't acknowledge the unprecedented nature of this federal deployment without state approval [4]
- The statement omits the political conflict between federal and state authorities, which is central to this situation [6]
Those who might benefit from different narratives include:
- Federal authorities benefit from emphasizing the need for protection of ICE officials
- State authorities (including Governor Newsom) benefit from portraying this as federal overreach
- Immigration reform advocates might benefit from highlighting the unprecedented nature of the deployment
- Law enforcement unions might benefit from emphasizing the need for additional security measures