National Guard troops deployed to California to quell the anti-deportation riots were later mobilized to help federal agents bust dozens of illegal migrants working at illegal marijuana farms.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed that their agents, working in conjunction with multiple federal agency partners, arrested at least 70 illegal migrants allegedly working at multiple illegal marijuana farms in California’s Coachella Valley. National Guard troops assisted DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents in the massive raid.
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Roughly 315 National Guard troops mobilized to respond to the anti-ICE violence were redeployed to the Coachella Valley area to help federal agents with the operation, according to newly filed court documents obtained by the LA Times.
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AsAmNews: Army veteran and purple heart recipient deported
Even after earning the Purple Heart for his bravery and calling the United States his home since the age of 7, on Monday Sae Joon Park self-deported due to immigration issues.
He served in Panama during the Noriega war in 1989.
“I got shot in the spine with an AK-47, M16, in my left lower back. In my mind, I’m going, ‘Oh my god, I’m shot in the back. I can’t feel my legs. I must be paralyzed,’” he recalled to Hawaii News Now.
Park faced post-traumatic stress disorder after being honorably discharged. He turned to marijuana as a way of dealing with stress, but that led him to develop an addiction to cocaine.
He ended up serving two and a half years in prison in 2009. These charges also led to the revocation of his green card and detainment by ICE.
He fought the deportation in court and was allowed to stay in the country due to being a Purple Heart veteran. However, recently, he was told he must leave the country willingly or he will be deported forcibly.
“ I can’t believe that this is happening in America,” Park told NPR in an interview prior to his departure. “That blows me away, like a country that I fought for.”
Park leaves behind a wife, two children and an 85-year-old mother.

https://asamnews.com/2025/06/24/sae-joon-park-drug-addiction-and-use-self-deportation-under-threat
Straight Arrow News: National Guard, DEA raid illegal marijuana farms in Southern California
More than 300 National Guard troops initially tasked with aiding law enforcement in the Los Angeles protests and subsequent unrest assisted federal agents during the week of June 15 in a large-scale raid targeting three suspected illegal marijuana farms in Thermal, a desert community in Riverside County, California. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led the operation, which spanned approximately 787 acres in the Coachella Valley.
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However, California officials argue that extending the Guard’s role to operations far from Los Angeles exceeds Trump’s authority. In a federal court filing cited by The Los Angeles Times, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office stated that the marijuana farm raids were not related to protecting federal property or personnel in Los Angeles, and questioned whether the president’s order remains legally valid, given the changed circumstances.
The dispute centers on whether Trump’s extended use of the National Guard violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of military forces for domestic law enforcement without congressional approval. Bonta’s office asked the court to review whether federalized troops can operate in areas where no violence or protests are occurring. Defense Department documents indicate that the deployment could last 60 days or longer, at the discretion of the secretary of defense.

https://san.com/cc/national-guard-dea-raid-illegal-marijuana-farms-in-southern-california