Event-NewsEnterprise

(Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Cypress, El Dorado Park Estates, La Palma, Portions of Long Beach)

Wednesday, October 1st, 2025

A community’s unease with JFTB federalization

Los Alamitos, Cypress, and other neighboring communities have long taken pride in the Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB) and the troops who dedicate their time serving there. But not everyone welcomed the massive buildup to accommodate 4,000 federalized California National Guard soldiers—especially given the base’s involvement in ICE-related activities. Many residents expressed outrage, sadness, suspicion, distrust, and outright fear. These sentiments were shared with me by members of the surrounding communities and protesters I’ve interviewed during my coverage of the area.

The August 13th issue of ENE detailed the recent drawdown and de-federalization of “most” of the California National Guard soldiers, accompanied by sanitized talking points from the base’s information officer. But that wasn’t the whole story.

Let’s revisit the rationale behind the buildup. This was a calculated escalation by the U.S. president, deploying roving bands of sometimes unidentified, armed personnel to apprehend restaurant workers, housekeepers, car wash employees, day laborers—and to arbitrarily detain or arrest anyone suspected of being undocumented. These actions sparked organic protests across our communities, objecting to apprehensions carried out without cause or due process.

The raids provoked broader protests in a small section of downtown Los Angeles, where police overreacted in their crowd control efforts. While their tactics were questionable at best, there was no need—or request—for external military support. The president disregarded the elected governor of California, overrode his authority, and federalized the California National Guard. Active-duty Marines were also called upon to act against civilians at federal facilities. This use of military force against civilians likely violated the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, even with the additional provisions introduced in 2007.

The rapid expansion of base activities and the construction of a tent city on an airbase nestled among small suburbs was impossible to ignore. Many of us witnessed convoys of military transport vehicles and the now-ubiquitous white or black vans—similar to those used by ICE—moving in and out of the gates. The tents, equipment, and crowd control training were visible. With little transparency from the base or the federal administration, we don’t know who was being trained. They implied it may have been Marines, but it could just as easily have been ICE agents, contractors, bounty hunters, or other “freelancers” eager to join the cause.

The protesters I encountered represented a cross-section of the community, primarily middle-aged and older. Contrary to some allegations, they weren’t “radical left-wing lunatics” funded by a mysterious cabal. In fact, many were generally supportive of the military and police—some even thanked patrolling officers for keeping them safe while they exercised their First Amendment rights. Their frustration wasn’t directed at the soldiers, but at the politicians who created this adversarial dynamic.

Their chants reminded soldiers of their oath to uphold the Constitution and to disobey unlawful orders. (Related: “4 in 5 US troops surveyed understand duty to disobey illegal orders” – Military Times, 8/14/2025.) Veterans, in particular, were deeply disturbed by what they saw as an improper and illegal use of the National Guard and Marines as political pawns to intimidate immigrant communities. They cited historical examples—from Nuremberg to My Lai—where soldiers attempted to justify their actions by claiming they were “just following orders.” Protesters also demanded that ICE be removed from the base—or at the very least, stop receiving support from Guard members.

The federalization of our dedicated California National Guard was neither wanted by the state nor welcomed by its communities. I suspect many Guard members were uncomfortable being placed in an adversarial role against civilians and in support of ICE operations. Even as JFTB draws down its federalized troops, recent weeks have seen plans to expand the federalization model in other states—ostensibly to “control crime.”

Unless we the people object, this model is likely to continue—and may return to California and a military base near you. Envision the America you’d prefer. Does it involve armed soldiers and masked gunmen patrolling the streets, targeting minorities? If we let these actions go unanswered, that may be exactly what we get.