The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday released half of the 4,000 California National Guard members it deployed last month to crack down on anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the release of 2,000 Guard members it had deployed to the South State on June 7, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Parnell said in a statement. His office declined to say why they were being released before their initial 60-day deployment was set to expire.

In early June, the Pentagon seized control of the National Guard over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections and ordered them, along with 700 Marines, to guard federal buildings and immigration officials as they carried out a series of deportation raids around Southern California.