The Trump administration has quietly withdrawn federalized National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland following a series of court rulings that blocked the president's plans. The withdrawal, completed by January 21, was not publicly announced by the White House or the Department of Defense, despite earlier insistence that military assets were needed to curb violent crime and support immigration enforcement.
More than 5,000 troops were pulled from California, along with roughly 500 from Chicago and 200 from Oregon, according to the U.S. Northern Command. The deployments cost nearly half a billion dollars, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office. The Pentagon confirmed the troops had completed demobilization activities.
President Trump had ordered the National Guard to several Democratic-led cities last year, a move that a federal judge criticized as an attempt to create 'a national police force with the president as its chief.' Legal challenges from state and local officials accused the administration of using American streets for political theatre, and in December, the Supreme Court blocked the deployment to Chicago.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker welcomed the withdrawal, stating: 'For the first time, crickets from Donald Trump. After losing in court multiple times to Illinois and other states, the National Guard was finally quietly pulled out of our streets.' White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson downplayed the news, saying the president had announced the withdrawal over a month ago on his Truth Social account.
Despite the withdrawal, more than 2,500 National Guard members remain in Washington, D.C., under a separate arrangement expected to end this year. Troops are also stationed in Memphis and New Orleans through agreements with the Trump administration but under the direction of state governors. Democratic officials and civil rights groups had feared the president was testing the limits of his authority to deploy active-duty military for politically charged missions.
