NEWS: National Guard Unpaid and Sleeping Outside After Pentagon Delays Orders

Thousands of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles remain unpaid and without federal benefits due to delayed activation orders from the Pentagon, raising serious concerns about troop welfare and planning failures behind the controversial deployment.

Subscribe to Centered America to help support our work! We appreciate you deeply!

Roughly 4,000 California Guardsmen were mobilized under President Trump’s directive to quell unrest tied to mass ICE raids and civil protests. But more than a week into the deployment, the Pentagon has yet to issue formal activation paperwork. Without those orders, troops are technically still in civilian status and are not receiving military pay, health benefits, or housing allowances.

Troops are reporting dire conditions. Some are sleeping outside or in crowded, makeshift indoor spaces without proper bedding or consistent access to food and water. Photos obtained by local outlets show troops in basements, on cots, and clustered in storage areas—conditions a former commander described as “wildly underprepared.”

Pentagon officials say administrative systems were overwhelmed by the sudden scale of the deployment and that activation is forthcoming. Still, families of service members have raised alarms over missed paychecks and lack of communication.