Trump Says National Guard Pullout Underway in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland
GeokHub
News Correspondent
Washington, Dec 31 (GeokHub) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that National Guard troops are being withdrawn from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, while warning that federal forces could be redeployed if crime rises again in those cities.
In a post on social media, Trump claimed the presence of the Guard had led to sharp reductions in crime, arguing that the deployments were justified despite sustained opposition from local leaders and repeated legal challenges.
“We are removing the National Guard … despite the fact that crime has been greatly reduced,” Trump wrote, adding that federal forces would return “in a much different and stronger form” should violence increase.
Legal Setbacks and Political Pushback
The deployments, which began earlier this year amid protests and demonstrations, were criticised by Democratic officials in the affected cities as unnecessary and an example of federal overreach. City leaders argued that the administration exaggerated isolated incidents of unrest to justify sending troops.
Federal courts have largely sided with those challenges. Judges overseeing lawsuits brought by several cities have ruled that the administration exceeded its authority and failed to demonstrate that National Guard troops were required to protect federal property or personnel.
Trump’s announcement came just ahead of a ruling by a federal appeals court ordering the return of hundreds of California National Guard troops to the control of Governor Gavin Newsom. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court also blocked the administration’s attempt to federalise Guard units in Illinois, saying such powers likely apply only in exceptional circumstances.
Cities Cite Falling Crime
Officials in Chicago and California said the legal defeats forced the administration to scale back its actions. Newsom’s office dismissed Trump’s statement as an attempt to reframe a court-ordered retreat.
After the announcement, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office released crime statistics showing violent crime in the city fell more than 21% in 2025 compared with the previous year, marking the lowest level in over a decade.
Trump first ordered the deployments in June as protests erupted over his administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement and expanded deportation efforts. He later extended federal control to Washington, D.C., citing crime concerns, though local data did not support those claims.
Military officials have gradually reduced the troop presence in recent months as court rulings left the legality of the deployments in doubt.
