Federalized Guard Units Quietly Pulled From Cities

President Trump’s administration has quietly withdrawn all federalized National Guard troops from cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, ending a controversial deployment that stirred legal and political pushback. The moves were confirmed by U.S. Northern Command but were not widely announced by the White House or the Pentagon.

At the height of the effort, more than 5,000 Guard members were mobilized in Los Angeles, roughly 500 in Chicago, and about 200 in Portland to guard federal facilities and assist support operations — not to enforce local laws, which federal troops are generally barred from doing under U.S. law.

The decision to pull back came after a series of court setbacks, including a U.S. Supreme Court order that blocked the Chicago deployment and suggested the president’s authority to federalize Guard units may be limited to truly exceptional circumstances.

Legal and political challenges shaped the withdrawal. Governors, mayors, and courts resisted the federalization on grounds that it overstepped presidential authority, violated the principle of state control over the Guard, and ran into restrictions like the Posse Comitatus Act that limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement.

In statements, the White House has pointed to past comments by President Trump highlighting perceived reductions in crime with federal support and leaving open the possibility of future deployments if conditions worsen. For now, however, the federalized units have returned home, and broader plans for a national rapid-reaction National Guard force appear to be on hold as the administration relies more on Department of Homeland Security personnel, who face fewer domestic restrictions.

Guard personnel haven’t disappeared entirely. More than 2,500 remain in Washington, D.C., under state-controlled status with duties that range from patrols to cleanup tasks, and similar state-led Guard missions continue in cities like Memphis and New Orleans with official local requests and broader authorities.

original source